A Mother's Worst Nightmare
by Maara
Summary: Completely AU Based on 'Partings' Lorelai is living her worst nightmare. Rory is missing. Who is there to help, and why exactly is this happening? Can't say more without giving it away. Please R
1. Chapter 1

**A Mother's Worst Nightmare**

_Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with Gilmore Girls. I am just playing around with ideas that run through my head and am making no money from this. Just having fun letting my imagination play._

_This is an idea that got into my head and grew and grew until it just had to be written. It is based on Partings but it is AU after that; not following the current story line. I am not sure exactly sure how to put it without giving away the story but suffice it to say: Rory disappears. What happens to bring her home? And why did she disappear in the first place. This is a LL fic. _

_Please read and review. I would love to hear what you think about the story so I can improve or just your opinion on how you like it or not. Please constructive criticism only no flames. I am only an amateur after all _

_Enjoy the story!_

**Chapter 1**

Lorelai woke with a start and sat up in bed looking around. Something had awoken her but she had no idea what. She blew out a breath and laid back down, thinking it was an unremembered dream and tried to go back to sleep.

After a while she got up, sleep being unattainable. Something felt wrong but she didn't know what. She went in to the bathroom to shower and brush her teeth then went downstairs to make coffee. As she neared the bottom of the stairs she stopped. Something was off. She didn't know what it was but slowed her steps as she made her way to her daughter's bedroom door.

Even though Rory was in Yale now, she spent some weekends at home and was even now in her own bed. Lorelai quietly walked over to her door and reached out slowly to turn the knob, slowly opening the door. She stopped cold when she saw the empty bed and open window and quickly turned to look through the house calling her name. "Rory!"

She checked the other bathroom and living room. Maybe she went back to Yale? She thought. Knowing Rory she had forgotten a test or something and went back to study for it. She walked over to the desk but saw no note. Frowning she looked out the front window and saw that her car was still in the driveway.

Panic started to set in but she told herself to be calm and maybe she went to Luke's. It was open this early and maybe she needed some food or coffee and would be back soon. Lorelai walked back into the kitchen and began to make coffee but couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

As she hit the start button on the coffee maker and went to the phone and dialed, just wanting to put her mind at ease. She dialed her cell phone and could hear it ring in her room. She walked over with the cordless phone to check it out. Her phone was on her nightstand next to her purse. Frowning, she dialed Luke's to see if she was there.

Even though she and Luke were not together anymore she knew he loved Rory and would let her know at least if she was there.

"Luke's" the familiar voice answered.

"Um…Luke?" Lorelai spoke hesitantly. "Have you seen Rory this morning?"

Luke was surprised she had called. He was still hurt about their break up and sighed before answering. "No, I haven't"

"Oh…Ok…tha-." She had started to say when she was greeted with the dial tone as he hung up on her.

She began to tear up. She knew she had hurt him but somehow he seemed to have forgotten how he had hurt her as well. She still loved him and always would, and it hurt that he didn't love her.

She picked up the phone and called Sookie.

Luke blew out a breath after he hung up the phone. It still hurt to hear her voice. She had done what he had never thought she would do. She cheated on him and betrayed him such a way that he didn't think he could ever forgive her for. He loved her so much but thought if she could cheat on him like that then she couldn't possibly love him. Not like she had said she did.

He shook the thoughts from his head and looked around the diner at the few customers he had. He wanted so much to go back in time and figure out what it was that happened to them to change things but knew he couldn't do that. He picked up his rag and started to clean empty tables.

After a few moments he realized what time it was and asked himself why was she up this early and why was she looking for Rory. He began to worry about Rory a bit. He loved her as if she were his own daughter and knew that Lorelai would do anything for her; even talk to someone she didn't want to talk to.

He began to look out the window to see if he could see her. Maybe she went back to school. He figured that was it and she was worried for nothing. He dismissed the idea and went back to work trying to block out his thoughts on the woman he loved and anything to do with her so he could get through another day.

Lorelai had gone through all of the numbers in Rory's cell phone asking everyone in it if they had seen her. As she hung up from the last call, she started to cry and picked up the phone once more. This time to call the police. Her daughter was missing.

Sookie came running in to the diner at full speed and ran straight into him almost knocking him over. "Luke, have you seen Rory?"

Luke looked at Sookie and saw how upset she was. "Sookie, what's wrong?" Suddenly panicked.

"Rory is missing! Lorelai woke up early this morning from a bad dream and couldn't go back to sleep. She said something seemed wrong and went to check on her and she was gone. Her car is still there and her purse and cell phone and her bedroom window was open. She called me this morning and I've been out looking ever since. Lorelai's calling everyone in Rory's cell phone and she just called the police." Sookie was full out crying now, worried about her friend's daughter.

Luke put his arms around Sookie and guided her to a chair as she babbled on. "She called me too." Suddenly feeling guilty for hanging up on her. "Geez and I just said no I hadn't seen her and hung up on her." He rubbed his hand over his forehead.

"Luke, I know she hurt you but…" She started to say but Luke cut her off.

"That's beside the point Sookie. I should have known something was wrong when she called at 6:30 in the morning." He looked grief stricken. "If anything happens to Rory and I could have helped and didn't; I'd never forgive myself."

"Luke, you have every right to be upset with her. She hurt you, but in the same token you have to understand that you hurt her too." She wasn't sure she should have said it but she felt someone had to since Lorelai wouldn't.

Luke looked up at her sharply. "How the hell did I hurt her Sookie? I was all in in this relationship and then she flips out and gives me an ultimatum and when I don't agree right away she runs to Chris and sleeps with him!" He is visibly angry about the situation but Sookie knows he doesn't realize what his own part had been in this situation.

"Do you really not know what you did to her?" Sookie was angry herself now. "All in, that's a laugh. I was there Luke I saw what was going on. I saw how effectively you pushed her out of your life." She stood up and started pacing. "I watched you ban her from the diner when April was here. I heard the answering machine message when you said that. I saw her struggle to keep it together when she felt you pulling away from her. I saw everyone in town get to meet and get to know April except the woman who was supposed to be her step-mother; I listened as she talked about how much it hurt and how she felt she couldn't really talk to you about it because you would think she asking you to make a choice between her and April. She didn't want you to choose because she would want you to choose April because she is your daughter."

A tear ran down her face at the pain she witnessed that no one else was privy to. "She cried so much because you shut her out. She cried because Rory got to meet April; and she cried because her PARENTS got to meet April but she wasn't allowed anywhere near her." She stopped and looked at Luke. "She cried because she thought you didn't love her anymore; if you ever did and because she found out about April from April. Not you." She walked up to him and put her hands on her hips. "She cried because you told her you have to be completely open with each other or it would never work between you two and then you promptly kept secrets from her."

"She didn't give up on you, Luke. Not until long after she thought you gave up on her." With that she stormed out of the empty diner and ran all the way to Lorelai's house.

Luke was stunned. Sookie had never blasted anyone like that before. And as he thought about everything she said he wondered if she was right. Had he pulled away from Lorelai so completely, long before she betrayed him by sleeping with Christopher? He went over to the door and flipped the sign to 'Closed' and went upstairs, tears visible in his eyes. He had a lot to think about and things to do to try and find Rory.

TBC…


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Lorelai sat on her couch waiting for the police to arrive. She was trying not to cry but couldn't stop the tears from coming. She heard a pounding at the door and ran over to throw it open and found Sookie standing there very upset. "Oh, Sookie. Hi come in." She turned and walked back into the house.

"Well, don't I feel welcome." Sookie came in and shut the door.

"Sorry, Sook. I'm just waiting for the police to get here." She wiped her eyes. "Sookie where could she be?"

Sookie put her arm around Lorelai's shoulder. "I don't know sweetie." Lorelai leaned her head on Sookie's shoulder and let the tears come. "I wish I knew."

A few minutes later another knock was heard at the door. "I'll get it sweetie, you stay here." She got up and went to open the door, letting in the police officer. "Hi, thanks for coming. Come on in."

He stepped through the door. "Ms. Gilmore?"

"Oh no. I'm her friend Sookie. She's on the couch." She pointed the way as the officer walked into the living room.

"Hello, ma'am. I'm Officer Davies. Did you call about a missing person?" He sat down in the chair across from the couch.

Lorelai nodded. "My daughter, Rory…" There came another knock on the door and Sookie got up to answer it. She was surprised to see Luke standing there. She quickly went out onto the porch pulling the door closed behind her. "What are you doing here?" She was still angry after their 'discussion' in the diner.

"I came here to see if I could help." He looked down at his feet shuffling on the porch.

Sookie regarded him carefully. "You still care don't you?"

"Of course I do." He looked up at her. "It hurts a lot what happened between us, but Rory is more important to me then my pride. We have to find her."

Sookie nodded. "I don't have a problem with you being here, but Lorelai…"

"I understand Sookie but I have to do something. I love that kid." He looked her straight in the eye.

"Ok. The police sent an officer over and he is taking a report right now." Sookie took him by the arm and pulled him toward the door. "Maybe you can add something to it."

She pulled Luke into the house and he saw Lorelai talking to the police officer. She looked up and saw him standing there and stopped talking. "Luke" she whispered.

The officer stood up. "And you are?"

Luke walked over to him. "Luke Danes. I own the diner in town."

"I'm Officer Davies. I am taking a report about Rory Gilmore. Can you add anything?"

"I'm not sure I can add anything to what her mother told you but I want to help find her." He sat on the arm of the couch as he spoke all the while Lorelai watched him.

"What is your relation to Miss Gilmore?" he asked as he sat, ready to write own everything he said.

"I'm a friend who loves Rory like my own kid." He looked over at Lorelai and saw a single tear escape from her eye.

The officer turned back to Lorelai. "Can you tell me what happened that made you realize she was missing?"

Fresh tears threatened to come but she held them at bay. "I woke up this morning from what I thought was a bad dream." She looked at her hands as she spoke. "I tried to go back to sleep but I couldn't. I had this feeling that something just wasn't right so I got up and… and came down to make coffee." She wrung her hands and continued. "When I got down here I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, so I went to check on Rory and when I opened her bedroom she was gone." She looked up as a tear streaked down her face. "The window in her room was open and she wasn't there. At first I thought she was in the bathroom, but when I looked and she wasn't there or anywhere in the house, I thought she might have gone to Luke's for coffee."

Tears were now free flowing down her cheeks and Sookie came to sit beside her and put her arm around her. "After a bit when she didn't come back I thought maybe she went back to Yale, but her car, purse and cell phone were all still here. So I called Luke's and he said he hadn't seen her." She felt a hand take hold of hers and realized Luke was now sitting beside her and was holding her hand for support. "I started to panic. I called everyone's number that was stored in her cell phone but no one has seen her. Then I called the police because I didn't know what else to do."

She completely broke down now. Officer Davies cleared his throat. "I'm gonna need to take a look at her room, if you don't mind."

Lorelai was crying hard and couldn't answer. So Sookie stood up. "I'll show you where it is." She led him to Rory's room. When she came back into the living room, Luke held Lorelai in his arms as she cried hysterically. She had never seen her cry so hard in all the years she had known her. Tears ran down her own face as she watched her friends pain and she turned around and went back to the kitchen to leave her and Luke alone.

Luke watched as Sookie led the officer to Rory's room and watched as Lorelai broke down completely. He reached over and pulled her to him and let her cry into his shoulder. Despite the problems they had he couldn't let her sit there alone. She needed a strong shoulder to cry on and he was going to provide it. They could think about everything else later. As he held her his own tears fell as he felt his own pain. And he vowed that if it was the last thing he ever did he would find Rory and bring her home to her mother. He held her tighter as her tears subsided into hiccups and she calmed down a little. Neither saw Sookie watching them from the entryway.

As her crying decreased she sat up and wiped at her swollen eyes. She grabbed Luke's hand and looked at him. "Thanks for being here."

"You're welcome." He squeezed her hand.

Just then Sookie and Officer Davies came back into the living room. They both stood up. "What can we do to help find her?" Luke asked.

"For now we will be checking all avenues we have open; places she frequents while in ton and things like that and we are going to put a recording device on your phone in case you get a call. Once that is installed then we will show you how to operate it. I'm going to go now and arrange for all of this and get a team together to look into finding her. I'll be in touch when I am on the way back." He regarded her a moment. "So just sit tight."

At this Lorelai became angry. "Sit tight? Sit tight? How can you tell me to sit tight? My daughter is missing; I can't just sit here and not do anything!" She yelled. "I have to find my daughter!"

"Ms. Gilmore, we will do everything in our power to find your daughter. I promise you that but you have to let us do our job." He was trying to be understanding but was annoyed that she wanted to take matters into her own hands.

"You don't have kids do you?" She asked her hands on her hips.

"No, ma'am I don't. I-," He was cut off.

"Then you have no idea how hard this is. You have no idea what it feels like to have your child missing! You have no idea how helpless I feel." She broke down into fresh tears and Sookie rushed over to hug her.

"Please just keep us posted. Let us know what you find no matter how small you think it is." Luke stated trying not to blow up himself.

Officer Davies just nodded and went out the door to his car.

Luke watched as Lorelai cried into Sookie's embrace and decided to go into the kitchen and make some coffee. Not knowing what else to do. When he came back in to the living room he set the coffee down on the table in front of them and sat in the chair the officer was previously seated in.

"Hey sweetie. Luke made some coffee. Let's have some and figure out what we're gonna do next, ok?" Sookie rubbed her back as she nodded.

She picked up a mug and sipped it, trying to think what she can do next. "Did you call your parents?"

"Oh God! No I didn't even think that far ahead. I was just concerned about finding her." She put her head in her hands and sighed, tying not to cry again.

"I'll call them, honey, you just sit here." Sookie got up and went to the phone and walked into the kitchen.

"What are we gonna do? How are we going to find her?" She drank more coffee hoping that Luke would have an idea.

"I don't know but we will find her. I promise." Luke said firmly. "I won't let anything happen to her."

Lorelai put the coffee down and flopped back on the couch at a loss as to what to do next. She blew out a breath and covered her face with her hands and tried to think but no coherent thought would come to her right now.

At the Gilmore residence Richard and Emily are working on their respective projects when the phone rang. "I'll get it Gerta." Emily called to the maid. She picked up the phone. "Hello."

"May I speak to Emily or Richard Gilmore please?" The voice on the other end asked.

"This is Emily. May I ask who's calling?" She asked the familiar voice on the other end of the phone.

"Oh Emily, this is Sookie, Lorelai's friend." She replied.

"Oh, hello, Sookie, what can I do for you?" She wondered why Sookie was calling her.

"Well, I have something to tell you, and I'm not sure how to do it." Her voice broke slightly sending an icy chill through Emily.

"What is it Sookie?"

"Well, Rory's missing."

"What?" Emily felt a tremor through her and felt Richard come up behind her.

"What is it Emily?" He whispered, but she waved him off.

"What do you mean she's missing?" Richard eyes widened at this question but he kept quiet waiting to hear what's going on.

As Sookie related the story to Emily she paled and felt herself falter. Richard put his arms around her to help steady her. His heart dropping at what he heard. His granddaughter missing.

"Thank you Sookie for calling us. We'll be there soon." And she hung up the phone turning to Richard. She related to him what Sookie had told her and promptly broke down. Richard did hid best to console her but was at a loss himself.

"Let's get to Stars Hollow and see what we can do." Emily nodded and went to get her jacket as Richard grabbed his phone book to take with him. And they were on their way.

TBC…


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Luke sat in the chair and watched Lorelai. She was doing her best to put her emotions to the back of her mind so she could think clearly. He was amazed at her sheer determination to focus on the task at hand. Her love for Rory was surpassed by nothing and he could see her struggling to keep her cool.

He got up and walked over to sit next to her. "Hey."

Lorelai turned her head and looked at the concerned face she saw before her. She was so glad he was here. Luke had always loved Rory and she knows he has thought of her as a daughter. She was glad that he was willing to at least put everything else aside to find Rory. "Hey."

He looked nervously at her, not really wanting to bring up this next subject, but knowing he had to. Even if he didn't like it. "Have you called… Chris?" He hated Chris with a passion but he was Rory's father and had a right to know what was going on. Having a daughter of his own; he now understood that fact better.

Lorelai's face blanched at that thought. She looked down at her hands. "I really don't want to talk to him. Gaahh but… I know I have to call him." She ran a hand through her hair and blew out a breath. "God, I don't want to talk to him."

"Lorelai…"

"I know, he has a right to know." She got up from the couch.

Luke watched her go to the phone. He wondered about how she was acting. She had broken up with him for Chris. So why didn't she want to talk to him. Did it end already between them? He shook his head. It didn't matter. She didn't want him anymore. He frowned. That thought didn't feel right though. He looked at her. She hadn't picked up the phone yet. She just stared at it. He got up and walked over to her.

"You ok?" He asked from behind her.

"Yeah, I guess." She glanced at him over her shoulder. "I'm not sure how to tell him. Or _what_ to tell him." She looked back at the phone and felt Luke take her hand. She looked at him again a small smile playing on her lips. "Thanks." She whispered and squeezed his hand as she picked up the phone.

Chris shut his cell phone and stood in place thinking about the conversation he just had. Lorelai had called him. She had finally called him. He grabbed his keys and headed out the door. She needed him. So now he could be there for her.

In the kitchen Luke stood at the counter and thought about the phone call. Lorelai had called Christopher and filled him in on what was going on. He was worried about Rory and said he would be there as soon as he could. Luke was not happy about it but he did understand that it was his right as Rory's father. He would want to know if he was in his place.

He was determined to show nothing but strength and put everything behind him; at least until Rory was back home. Then he could deal with everything else. He would make sure he was there for Lorelai. He didn't want Chris near her actually but he would never admit that. He wouldn't let her down again.

Sookie had come back in and let them know that Richard and Emily were on their way here. Oh boy he thought. This was going to be interesting. He had figured that everyone would want something to eat or drink so he had gone into the kitchen to see what she had and make something for them to nibble on. Lorelai was calling all of the hospitals in the area to see if any Jane Doe's had come in.

When he opened the refrigerator door he was surprised to see it full of groceries. Sadly he realized that it was because they weren't together anymore. She had to make sure she ate. As he pulled items out he thought back to how Sookie had blasted him that morning. He had been so wrapped up in learning about April and how to be a dad and Lorelai sleeping with Chris, that he didn't even pause to consider what he had put her through. He felt bad but couldn't get her voice out of his head when she told him she had slept with Christopher. He closed his eyes a moment at that thought.

He continued to move mechanically around the kitchen making sandwiches and coffee and tea. He needed to do something to keep from going crazy. He didn't notice Lorelai leaning against the doorway to the kitchen. She watched as he moved knowing where everything was. She also saw the flashes of pain that crossed his features.

Just as he was finishing the food he looked up and locked gazes with her. "Hey. Any luck?"

He noticed tears spring to her eyes but she rapidly blinked them away. "No." She whispered shaking her head.

"Sorry." He looked down at the plate full of sandwiches and began to rearrange them on the plate.

"Luke?" He looked up and she continued. "I know you hate me…" He started to speak but she held up a hand to stop him. "…and I don't blame you." She took a deep breath. "But I just wanted to thank you for being here. I mean, I know you're here for Rory but… just… thank you." She turned to walk back into the living room.

"You're welcome." He said and grabbed a mug and poured her some coffee. He went up to her and handed it to her. "Here."

She took the mug with a smile. "Thanks."

She heard a knock on the door and a familiar voice call into the house. "Lorelai?"

It was Richard and Emily. "Here mom." Luke went back into the kitchen so they talked.

"Lorelai." Emily rushed over to her. "Tell us what's being done. What can we do to help?" Emily sat on the couch and pulled Lorelai down next to her and held her hand.

Lorelai just looked at her a moment before she spoke. "The police are conducting searches in her known hang outs and all that and the hospitals and airports and planes and buses." She rubbed the bridge of her nose with the side of her hand. "And I've been calling all the hospitals and I've got Michel at the Inn faxing her picture along with her information asking them to contact us if she comes in." She put her hand back down. "The police came in earlier and took statements and will be back to put a recording device on my phone so if anyone calls in for ransom or anything we can record it…" Her voice broke at this and tears fell.

Emily moved her hair from her face. "Lorelai, are you all alone?" She wondered why no one was here with her.

"No mom. Sookie had to go and take care of her kids and she's also mobilizing the town to search for her." She looked her mother in the eye. "Luke's in the kitchen making some food for us."

"Luke's here?" She was surprised. She thought they had had a bad break up.

She nodded to her mother. "He loves Rory, mom. He wants to help any way he can. Right now he wants to make sure we eat so we can keep up our energy to do what we have to do to find her." Her face was pained as she spoke, not escaping Emily's notice.

Richard who had remained still and quiet as the two women talked slipped into the kitchen. "Hello Luke." He held out his hand to the other man.

Luke shook his hand and nodded. "Richard." As he looked at the elder Gilmore he thought, that at this moment, he looked every bit his age. "Do you want any coffee or tea or anything?"

"No, Luke, thank you." He looked at him a moment. "You really care about my granddaughter don't you?"

Luke looked him straight in the eye. "Yes I do." His voice was firm and brooked no argument.

Richard Gilmore smiled. "Good." He had known about the break up between Luke and Lorelai but in spite of all that had happened between them Luke was still there. He put that aside to focus on Rory.

They both turned as they heard the front door bang open and Chris barged into the house. When Luke saw who it was he went back to wiping down the counter tops in the kitchen.

"Lor?" He ran over to her and grabbed her hand, dropping to his knees in front of her. "What's going on? Is there any news?"

Lorelai pulled her hand away and stood up. Walking away from Christopher turning around to face him. "No Chris, there's nothing new."

Chris watched as she moved away from him. What's up? Why is she moving away? I'm here for her, like she wants me to be. Granted she had told him to leave her alone but he knew she would come around. She just needed a little time that's all.

"Come on Lor, she's my daughter too." She just looked at him.

"If there was something new, I would tell you." She turned and began to look at her pictures on the mantle, her eyes misting over.

Emily wasn't sure what was going on, but decided to keep quiet and see how it all played out.

Richard walked into the living room. "Christopher."

He turned to Richard, glad to see him there. He always knew they were on his side and wanted him and Lorelai together. He held out his hand "Hey, Richard, how are you?"

"I've been better."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." He turned when he heard Lorelai sigh and watched her walk into the kitchen.

As he was about to turn and follow her Richard cleared his throat. "We need to sit down and see what we can do to find Rory." He sat down "You know a… what do they call it? A bull session. That's it. We'll sit down and figure out the best avenues to take in finding her."

Chris sat down and faced Richard. "What's being done now?" He listened as Richard told him what he knew so far, thinking he would have plenty of opportunities to talk to Lorelai later on.

Lorelai walked into the kitchen her arms wrapped around herself and went into Rory's room. She stood there looking around. Her eyes fell on Colonel Cluckers on the floor. She slowly kneeled down to pick it up and hugged it tight as her tears flowed once again.

She felt a gentle touch on her shoulder and saw Luke behind her with a look of pure pain on his face. She cried harder as she leaned into him and let him hold her while she let it all out. Things may be bad between them but that had nothing to do with this situation. He was here because Rory was missing and Lorelai was hurting intensely and needed support. Nothing else mattered at the moment.

Emily saw them go into Rory's room. She got up and went to the door and a tear slid down her cheek at the scene before her. Luke held her tightly and rocked her as she cried. After a moment she went back into the living room and continued to call the hospitals.

Chris sat only half listening to what Richard was saying. His mind was wondering where Lorelai went. She walked out of the living room a while ago. He watched as Emily called the hospitals and Richard pulled out his cell phone and began making calls of his own; moving out onto the porch He got up and walked into the kitchen and looked into Rory's room. His jaw dropped as he watched Luke lift a now sleeping Lorelai into Rory's bed and tuck her in with a stuffed turkey. He brushed hair back off her forehead and stood back looking down at her.

As he turned to leave he saw Chris standing in the door way, an angry look on his face. Luke's gaze turned cold as he walked through the door and back into the kitchen.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Chris growled.

"I'm here to help find Rory." He said simply as he continued working around the kitchen .

"We don't need your help." He was the absolute last person Chris wanted here right now. "Leave."

Luke turned to look at him and tossed the dish towel over his shoulder and crossed his arms over his chest. "No."

Chris glared at him. "I think you are the last person that needs to be here. Lorelai doesn't need you. She has me."

Luke leaned forward a bit. "Well, then she can tell me that herself. If she wants me gone, then I'm gone." He stared him down in his own inimitable way.

Richard stood on the porch, his phone to his ear. "Yes, I understand what it will cost and I don't care about that. I want you to find my granddaughter and check into those other matters too." He listened a moment. "Yes, complete information on both; from beginning to the present. And be sure to only report to me." He listened again. "Yes, good. I'll see you in about an hour." He closed his phone and turned to see Emily in the door way.

"Who are you calling?" She asked.

"I have just retained the services of a top private investigator." He walked over to his wife placing a hand on her shoulder. "They are going to be here in about an hour; to look things over and see if they can figure out what happened and find Rory."

"That's a wonderful idea Richard. Let's tell Lorelai." She took his hand and pulled him back into the house. "She needs to hear other options and things we can do right now." She was worried about her daughter and wanted to give her anything that would help her state of mind.

TBC…


	4. Chapter 4

justawritier

Thanks! I hope you like what's to come!

LorLukealways

Yes I think so too. But we'll just have to see how it plays out. ;)

LorLukealways

I have thought that for SO long myself. Someone needed to blast him. I'm glad it was Sookie!

Brookeleighgilmore

Thanks, I totally agree!

Curley-Q

I absolutely agree!

Aliolyoxenfree

Thanks!

caniborrowyourshoesx3

Me too! LOL I hope more get a chance to enjoy it and let me know what they think. Even if t's a suggestion. It can only help me improve. Thanks again!

Brookeleighgilmore

I will do that! Thanks!

elliv16

Thanks! I guess you'll just have to wait and see! evil laugh 

elliv16

Thanks so much!

_Thank you to all who reviewed this fic so far. I appreciate the feedback. I am glad you all seem to like this story as much as I do._

_On with the story!_

**Chapter 4**

Richard and Emily entered the kitchen and the first thing they saw Luke and Chris staring each other down. "What's going on in here?"

"Nothing." Luke said and turned to the tray of food sitting on the counter behind him.

"Christopher?" Emily looked at him.

"Nothing, Emily." Chris turned and smiled at her. She just stared at him a moment then let it go. "Where's Lorelai?"

Luke spoke up before Chris could. "She's sleeping." He looked at Emily. "She was upset and cried herself to sleep." He gestured to Rory's room. "I put her to bed in Rory's room."

Emily looked at her daughter and her heart broke when she saw her sleeping with tear tracks running down her face. "Let's let her sleep. Come into the living room. Richard has something to tell us." She turned on her heel and walked into the living room. Richard gestured the two men into the living room ahead of him.

As they sat on the couch Richard cleared his throat. "Well, I have retained a private investigator to help us find Rory." He shifted in his seat. "They will be here in about an hour to conduct interviews and look around to see if they can find anything that would help find her."

"Are you sure that's a good idea Richard?" Chris asked and was surprised at three faces simultaneously turn to face him with questioning looks. "I just mean, we don't want them to get in the way of what the police are doing do we? I want Rory found but I am afraid this will jeopardize this."

"What have the police done so far?" Richard asked directing his question to Luke, much to his chagrin. What the hell is he even doing here? I've gotta get him out of here somehow. He thought to himself as Luke detailed what had been done so far while wringing his hands.

"Hmmm." Richard rubbed his chin contemplatively. "Well, the private investigators can look into things the police are not able to because of the way the laws work so they could only enhance what has been done so far. I have already hired them and they will find my granddaughter." His voice raised in a way that offered no room for argument.

Chris backed off deciding to let it go for now. "Just don't let them get in the way of the police. That's all I ask." He said and leaned back into his chair.

"Don't worry about a thing." Richard didn't let his face change but inside he wondered about Chris' reticence to hire a private investigator.

"I think it's a good idea." Luke stated. "But can we wait to tell Lorelai? She really needs to sleep a bit."

"Yes, of course, let her sleep. It's hard enough on her as it is." Emily agreed.

"Although when they get here we'll have to wake her. She can tell the investigators what she knows and ask any questions that come to mind." Richard said.

"Yeah." Luke agreed.

Just then Chris' cell phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and answered it. "Hello" He listened a moment "Ok, hold on." He pulled the phone away from his ear. "It's my mother. She has Gigi." He pointed over his shoulder, "I'm just gonna…" and he walked out onto the porch.

Once outside, he looked quickly over his shoulder before putting the phone to his ear. "Yeah?" He listened a moment. "How is she?"

He paced the porch as he listened. "Good, I'll call later to check in." He snapped his phone shut and stood outside looking out at the yard for a few minutes before heading back into the house.

Once Chris had walked outside, Luke stared after him lost in thought. He had always had misgivings about Christopher, but something was nagging at him. He didn't trust him. He seemed more worried about why Luke was here then anything else.

Emily and Richard just sat and watched Luke. They could sense the tension between the two men and were worried it would get out of hand.

Chris walked back into the house. "How is your mother Christopher?" Emily asked.

"She's good. She is taking care of Gigi for me so I can be here and she just wanted to check in." As he spoke Luke stood and went into the kitchen.

"Good." She stood. "I think I am going to get some coffee. Would either of you like anything?"

"No thank you Emily." Richard turned to Chris

"Uh, no thanks Emily."

She went into the kitchen and found Luke putting the tea kettle on. "I was just looking for a cup of coffee." Not knowing what else to say to him.

"Oh yeah." He pointed to the coffee maker. "It should be done in a minute." He pulled out a couple of mugs, "I'm having tea." He put the teabag into one of the mugs and turned to Emily.

"Well… thank you, Luke" Emily sat at the table as Luke put out cream and sugar. He was moving around the kitchen on auto-pilot. She watched him for a few minutes. "Luke?" He turned to face her as if startled. "Are you alright?" She was surprised to find that she was worried about him.

"Yeah I'll be ok." He sat across from her and placed his hands around his mug. "How are you holding up?"

She sighed, "Not as well as I am trying to convey."

For the first time since he met her he completely understood where she was coming from. He just looked down into his mug as he ran his hands back and forth around in his hands.

"You really care about her don't you?" She was intrigued with this side of Luke. He was in pain, but was able to put it aside to be here to help find Rory. She started to see part of what Lorelai saw in him. He held his emotions in tight control, but now a flash of pain crossed his features. He then pushed it back and looked up at her. "Yeah, I do."

Just then the tea kettle whistled, giving him an excuse to turn away and blink back the tears he felt stinging his eyes.

Emily couldn't believe what she was feeling. Her heart actually went out to him. She was supposed to hate him; he wasn't good enough, but still, his heart seemed genuine. At least he had the good taste to love her granddaughter… and her daughter. She was shaken out of her reverie by the door bell ringing.

She got up and ran through the house to the front door to see Richard shaking hands with two young men. "Thank you very much for coming on such short notice."

"That's quite alright Mr. Gilmore." He gestured to himself then the other man. "I'm Dan and this is Mike." While Mike shook hands with Richard, he looked over and saw Emily, Luke and Christopher.

"Ah," he turned to Mike and Dan. "Come in and meet the others." He walked into the living room with Mike and Dan in tow.

"This is my wife Emily, Luke Danes, and Christopher Hayden (Rory's father)." They all shook hands. "This is Dan and Mike from the private detective agency."

"Please sit down." Emily directed. "I'll get Lorelai." Dan sat down as Emily turned from the room.

Christopher stopped her. "I'll get her Emily." He started to turn to the kitchen when Emily waved him off.

"Nonsense," she said. "I'll get her. Sit, sit." With that she exited the room.

Luke just stood looking at Chris a moment before turning to the investigators. "I made some coffee or tea, would you like some?"

Dan turned to regard Luke a moment. "Sure that would be great, thanks." As he and Mike pulled out notebooks and shared a surreptitious look as Luke exited the room.

"While we wait for the others, why don't we talk about what happened." Mike said as he pulled his cap off of his pen.

Dan pulled out a tape recorder and placed it on the coffee table. "I hope you don't mind, but I want to also get a tape recording of our conversations about the case." He looked between Chris and Richard to see if they had any objections.

"By all means; do whatever is necessary to find my granddaughter."

Chris hesitated slightly then nodded.

As Luke set up a tray for coffee he watched sidelong as Emily woke Lorelai.

"Lorelai?" Emily called softly and gently shook her shoulder.

Lorelai's eyes snapped open and it took her a moment to realize where she was and what was going on. Her eyes filled again and she felt a hand gently push her hair out of her face. Then she bolted up in bed and grabbed her mother's arms. "Is there any news? Have they found her? What's going on? Why aren't you talking? Mom?"

Emily grabbed Lorelai's arms. "Lorelai!" She raised her voice to cut her off. "No there is no progress so far, but your father has hired private investigators to help find Rory." She let go of her arms and took her face in her hands gently. "They have just arrived and we need to meet with them to tell them what happened. Ok?"

"Yeah, that's a good idea." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath and willed herself to calm down. She swung her legs over the side of the bed. After a moment she got up and followed Emily out to the living room with Luke not far behind with coffee and tea.

Lorelai sat on the arm of her father's chair and shook hands as Richard made the introductions. Luke poured the coffee and took in the situation around him. He watched as Lorelai sat with her father instead of taking the seat next to Christopher on the couch. He was intrigued but kept silent and just watched.

"I know that this is going to be hard for you to do, but I need you to tell me again what happened. Can you do that?" Dan asked her.

"Yeah, I can do it as many times as it takes to get my daughter back."

Dan smiled at her and pushed the record button on the machine and listened as Lorelai related the sequence of events as she remembered them as her father held her hand.

"Do you think it could have been a noise that woke you rather then the dream itself?" Mike asked.

"Yeah, it's possible, I guess. But I didn't hear any other sounds after that." Then she thought a moment. "Unless the sound that woke me, was the sound of them leaving with her." She looked up at Dan and Mike and got the sense that they were thinking the same thing.

"Have the police told you anything they found or didn't find yet?"

"No they have been very quiet and when I call all they say they are working on it." She got up from where she sat and began to pace. "I know it has only been a day but shouldn't they know something by now? I will do anything I have to do to get her back but they only tell me to sit tight and wait for them to do their job." She was getting worked up. "But they don't seem to get that this is my worst nightmare and I want... no I _need_ to do something. Anything."

Emily got up and took hold of her daughter. "Hold on Lorelai. We will do what we need to do." She gestured to Mike and Dan. "That's why they are here. To help us figure out what we need to do."

Lorelai blew out a breath. "You're right. I'm sorry." She turned to Dan and Mike. "I really am sorry."

"Don't worry about it Lorelai. I completely understand." Mike smiled as he talked. "If anything happened to my kids I would not be holding together as well as you. No need to apologize."

"Thanks." She sat next to her mother. "So what's next?"

Dan looked over at her. "Do you mind if I have a look at her room? I need to get a feel for what happened and see if anything that could help us is still there."

"Yeah, sure. I'll just show you..."

Luke cut her off. "No, stay. I got this. You still have things to talk about." He turned to Dan. "I'll show you her room."

"Thanks." She looked at him.

He just nodded to her and walked out leading Dan to her room.

Luke led Dan through the kitchen and gestured to Rory's room. "Here it is." He watched Dan walk in and seem to tune everything out as he looked around. He bent down and looked at the floor around the bed and made a tight circle around the room until he got to the window.

He turned to Luke. "Was this window open when it was discovered that Rory was missing?"

"As far as I know it was." Luke answered. Then he saw the finger print powder on this sill and pane of the window. He watched as Dan bent down to his case and pulled out his own finger print kit and began to dust in places just near where the police dusted.

Luke watched all of this fascinated by what he was doing. He sat at the table where he could watch and not be in the way but be available for questions.

Dan watched Luke out of the corner of his eye as he moved around the room. He seemed genuinely worried about Rory. He decided to get to know him a little better to see if he can better gage his character. "So...Luke? Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?"

"No, I don't mind." Dan walked over and sat down at the table with Luke after he packed up what he collected from Rory's room.

He pulled out another mini recorder switched it on and placed it on the table. "Well, the most obvious question to me is; what is your relationship with Rory?"

"Rory is a great kid." He chuckled, "Well, maybe she's not a kid now but I have known her since she was 6 years old. She'll always be a kid to me, you know?"

Dan nodded and let him go on. "Lorelai and I have been the best of friends for years. I have always felt somewhat protective of her and Rory. I knew their story because this is after all a small town, but I took it upon myself to kind of look out for them." He looked down at the table and traced the patterns on it with his fingertips. He then looked up at Dan.

"I have loved Lorelai and Rory for years." He wasn't sure if revealing himself like this was going to help but it was time to talk about things. And maybe it would be better if it was an impartial party. "I mean, I always thought she was out of my league, you know, so I stayed friends with her, but I would do anything for them." He smiled. "It took me years to finally ask Lorelai out. When we did get together it was wonderful. We were so right for each other. She brought me out of my shell and I helped to keep her grounded."

Dan looked at Luke a moment. "How long were you and Lorelai together?"

"Just over two years." He looked sad. "We were engaged to be married, but things got screwed up, you know?"

"Ok. So what about Rory." Dan asked. "How do you feel about her?"

Luke looked him directly in the eye. "I love her like she was my daughter."

"Well, she's _not_ your daughter, she's _mine_!" Chris growled from the doorway, interrupting their conversation.

TBC…


	5. Chapter 5

Reese 

Wow! Thanks! LOL Now why would I give anything away? I am really glad you are enjoying the story. It is very interesting how it all unfolds huh? I agree about Chris being a d I am not a fan of his.

PuppiesRCute

Thanks! Your wish is my command! At least this time. LOL Next one depends on when the chapter is ready. Glad you like it!

gilmoregurl55

Thanks! Glad you like it. Here's more!

Aliolyoxenfree

Ah yes, Logan. Not sure what will happen there. Will have to see how it all plays out. ;)

TrueLovex3LL

LOL Glad you like it!

coffeeejunkieee

Thanks so much! I try to portray them as close to what their characters are like as I can. I am glad they are coming across well. Thanks and I am glad you like the story!

Curley-Q

Ah here is the newest chapter. I am glad you like it!

elliv16

Thanks! Hmmm interesting idea. Let's see what happens. ;)

justawritier

Yeah I like when he does stuff like that. 

LorLukealways

Hehehe I give nothing away ;) I am really glad you like the story. Enjoy the newest chapter!

_I really appreciate all the reviews. Thanks so much to all of you for letting me know what you think. Here is the latest chapter. Sorry it is a little short but the next one should be longer._

_Enjoy!_

**Chapter 5**

Luke and Dan turned to look at him. Luke narrowed his eyes. "I know." He said with a quiet anger in his voice. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He wasn't here to fight with anyone so he did what was best for the moment and pushed his own personal feelings aside and mentally counted to ten before he was able to unclench his fists.

Christopher on the other hand was not calming down. I'll be damned if this guy is going to take my daughter and Lorelai away from me again. He advanced a step towards Luke, who got up out of his chair to face him. "What are you even doing here? This has nothing to do with you. This is a family matter." He said through clenched teeth.

Dan watched as Luke moved right into Chris' face. "I am here to help find Rory. Nothing else. She is what is important right now." He stared unblinkingly at Chris. "If you don't want me here too bad. Lorelai is the only one with the right to ask me to leave. If she wants me to go then she can tell me herself." He turned to sit back down then stopped and faced Chris again. "Besides, I would think it shouldn't matter who helps find you daughter as long as she is found." With that he sat down at the table again.

Chris just fumed but didn't want to start something with all of these people here. So he backed off and went back into the living room.

"What was all that about?" Dan asked.

"Lorelai and I broke up and she... she spent the night with him." He looked down at the table.

Suddenly Dan understood about the hostility. "So are Lorelai and Chris together?"

"I thought they were but the feeling I am getting now is no." He looked over his shoulder into the living room to make sure no one was listening. "I get the feeling that something isn't right about that situation but I have no idea what it could be." He shook the thoughts out of his mind. "Is this something you really need to know?" Luke asked.

"Well, family relationships could be important to this case." Dan sat back in his chair. 

Luke and Dan sat in the kitchen a while longer while Luke talked and Dan took notes.

"Ok, Lorelai. I want to thank you for relating your story yet again." He reached a hand out and put it on hers. "I know this is hard but I promise we will do whatever we can to find your daughter for you and bring her home."

She could only nod at him. She felt as if, had she tried to speak she would start to cry and never stop. She put one of her hands over his. "Thank you" she finally choked out. "Please find my baby."

Mike nodded to her and pulled his hand back after giving hers a squeeze. "Ok, I will need to have conversations with each of you individually as well." He turned to Lorelai. "Is there a place I can do that privately?"

"Um... you can use either the kitchen or Rory's room." Lorelai offered. She stood up. "I am just going to go up to my room and lie down for a bit. I'm really drained." She tiredly ran her hand over the bridge of her nose.

"Of course. I'll let you know if we come up with anything at all." He watched as she nodded and climbed the stairs to her room. Then he turned to the others. "I only really need to talk to Chris right now."

"Why just me?" Chris asked confused.

"Well, I have already talked to Richard at length so it's your turn." Mike said and turned to face him.

"Well, why not talk to Luke? He is just sitting in the kitchen right now." Chris did not want to talk to them, he just wanted them to go and do whatever it is they do.

"Dan is already talking to him right now, so you and I can have a chat." Mike kept his face and voice neutral but wondered about his reticence at talking.

Richard stood up. "Well, I am going to go out onto the porch. I have a few phone calls to make."

Emily stood up. "And I will go up and check on Lorelai. That way you two can talk here in private." She made her way upstairs.

Once they were alone, Mike turned to Chris. "Chris, I just wanted to talk to you for a bit and see what you can tell me about Rory."

"What do you mean what can I tell you about Rory?" Chris demanded. "Haven't we been talking about all of that?"

"Yes we have to a degree, but also different people have different views and know different things that if we talk to you all individually then we can get a broader picture of her and it may help us find her." He wanted to get Chris to open up about Rory.

"Well... um she is smart and funny and a clone of her mother." He said. He just wanted this conversation to be over and for them to leave. He wanted all of them to leave so he could be alone with Lorelai and find a way for them to find Rory so they can all be together. This seemed like a big waste of time.

"Ok. What can you tell me about your relationship with Rory and Lorelai?" Mike was poised with his notebook ready to write down things he wanted to ask about.

"What about my relationship with them?" Chris demanded. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"It may help us figure out a few things about her. If she is just out hiding somewhere then it may help us to find her." Mike couldn't understand his attitude. He was trying very hard not to talk about this subject. But Mike was going to do what he could do to draw him out somehow.

"Mr. Hayden. Do you want to find your daughter?" Mike finally asked.

"Of course I do.!" Chris got up from his chair, angry at the question being put before him. "How can you even ask me that?"

"I ask that because you are so resistant to the questions I am asking. You seem to be trying to avoid answering them." Mike looked him directly in the eye. "And I am wondering why."

Chris realized blew out a breath. "I'm sorry." He said pulling a hand through his hair. "I am just anxious to get her back." He sat back down and faced Mike. "Fire away."

"Ok. Tell me about your relationship with your daughter and Lorelai. Paint me a picture of what they're like." Mike asked again.

"Ok. Well, like I said she is really smart, beautiful like her mother, loves coffee and loves studying." He tapped his fingers together as he thought. "She is the editor of the Yale Daily News."

Mike smiled. "I'm impressed. What kinds of things did she like to do? You know to relax or whatever."

"Well, she loves to read so she reads a lot, and listens to music and watches movies with her mother a lot." He answered.

"What kind of relationship do you have with your daughter?"

"Well, a pretty good one I think. You know typical father daughter stuff. I don't see her as often as I would like, but she's working hard in college and on the newspaper so it isn't easy to get together too much." He thought a moment. "I love her."

"What is her relationship like with her mother?" Mike continued asking questions in a detached manner.

"Lorelai and Rory are really close." He replied. "They do everything together and tell each other almost everything. They really are best friends." Chris was a little jealous of their relationship but couldn't do anything about that right now. "She loves her mother dearly. She's very protective of her."

"What do you mean?" Mike was intrigued by this.

"Well, if she thinks someone is going to hurt Lorelai she'll warn them off," he said. "That kind of thing."

"Has she ever done that to you?" Mike was really hitting home with his questions.

Chris hesitated then looked at him. "Yeah, she did once." He looked down at his hands. "It was a couple years ago when Luke and Lorelai started dating."

Mike had a little bit of an understanding now of the tension he felt when the two were around each other. "Are they still dating?"

"No they're not." Chris stated simply.

"Do you know how long they were together?"

Chris sighed. "Over two years. They were engaged until they broke up a few months ago."

"Hmm, do you know why they broke up?" Mike was indeed curious now.

"Not really, but I know that Luke just found out he had a 12 year old daughter and I guess it was hard on them." He clasped his hands together. "She never really told me the details."

Mike leaned forward slightly. "Are you and Lorelai together now?"

Chris looked up sharply. "No."

Mike just nodded but got the distinct impression that he wanted to be with her but he didn't push the issue at the moment. "So tell me..."

TBC…


	6. Chapter 6

Brookeleighgilmore

Thanks! And you will just have to wait and see. ;)

Elliotlvu

We will see what my imagination brings forth. There are probably 100 different scenarios that run through my head at any one time. This is just the one I can't get out of my heard right now. There will be more stories but not sure what kind they will be. Thanks again!

LorLukealways

But I like to tease LOL but this next chapter is much longer so I think you will enjoy it. There was just no way to make it work as one big long chapter. I wanted to do it perspective-wise. Let me know what you think! Thanks again!

Curley-Q

You got it! Thanks!

froggy moe

Thanks! Yes Rory's POV is coming up soon and many more after that too! I hope you enjoy it!

Aliolyoxenfree

I know what you mean! LOL All good stories I have read have cliff hangers and I hate them but they just fit in with this one. Sorry! I hope you like this chapter!

justawritier

I hate him too and YES I did see the preview. I can not wait to see the episode! I haven't even watched this season until the last two episodes so now I am really enjoying this. LL forever!!!

_Thanks again for the reviews. Keep 'em coming please. I love to hear thoughts on my writing good or bad. I can only improve that way. And now for the next chapter. This one is longer then the last one so I hope you like it!_

_Enjoy!_

**Chapter 6**

Dan and Luke sat at the table deep in conversation. "Ok, go back a ways. When exactly did you meet Lorelai?" He was hooked on this tale being told to him.

Luke smiled a little at the memory and told him the story of the coffee starved Lorelai who had written the horoscope to him to get him to give her coffee. Dan laughed at the antics Luke described. This was easier for him to talk about then their break up. He still didn't have all of his questions answered but had a better understanding that he needed to come to terms with.

Dan continued to take notes while he listened shaking his head. He was amused that someone would need coffee so much that they would resort to silly games. "How can you remember what it said so clearly on that horoscope?"

Luke reached back and pulled his wallet out of his back pocket. He pulled out the horoscope and handed it to him.

Dan was stunned. He couldn't believe he had kept it. He looked up at Luke. "So did it bring you luck?"

"Yeah it did." Luke smiled. "I still keep it because of how I think it _is_ lucky to me and..." He stopped here and reached across the table and took the horoscope back tucking it into his wallet before putting it away.

"Because you love her." It was a statement not a question and Luke just looked at Dan and nodded once.

"Wow." Dan was stunned. He immediately liked this guy. He seemed genuine in his demeanor and his caring for Lorelai and Rory.

"Yeah." Luke replied.

Dan shook his head slightly. "Ok so tell me about Rory. What do you know about her?"

Luke was glad for the change in subject. He had laid open his soul bare to this man. Not really understanding why he had. He certainly never had opened up like that to anyone else before. Suddenly, he realized that he hadn't even opened up that much to Lorelai. He felt like an ass at this revelation. Then pushed it aside for the moment to concentrate on answering Dan's questions.

"Rory is an amazing girl. I have never met a kid like her I can tell you that." He chuckled. "She has no physical aptitude at all, like her mother, except for climbing trees, she loves to read and learn. I tell ya I have never seen anything like it." He felt lightness in his heart as he continued. "The first time I met her she came in with Lorelai and when I went to the table I could hear part of their conversation. This kid was talking like she was about ten years older then she was."

He smiled as he thought more about Rory. "She loves animals, although never lets her mother have a pet."

"Why is that?" Dan was amused by his recitation of the story.

"Well, Lorelai always had a hard time taking care of pets." He laughed. "She even abandoned a hamster at a pet store because she couldn't deal with it."

Dan laughed openly at that one. "Please tell me you're kidding."

"Wish I could but it's the God's honest truth." He sobered up a bit. "Rory had a caterpillar once. She had to be about... oh I don't know... seven or eight. When it died she thought it was going to form a cocoon but when nothing happened after a while she was upset. She has a good heart so she decided to have a funeral for it to say good-bye properly." He was now lost in the story. "She came up to me in the diner when her mother and her had finished breakfast and asked me to come to the caterpillar's funeral. I asked her why and she said that I was important to her and she needed a strong shoulder if she needed to cry."

"Did you go?"

"Yeah. I tell you she looked so heart broken I couldn't have said no if I wanted to." Luke cleared his throat. "So I helped dig the hole and she put in the little box and a one of those dandelions and we buried it. She cried a little when I was there and laid her head on my shoulder, but Lorelai told me later she cried a lot harder after I left."

"So other then the reading and learning and all that she was..." Dan began but Luke cut him off.

"Is." Luke was annoyed that he was talking in past tense. "She is what?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean was as in... I meant as she was when she was little." Dan clarified.

"No I'm sorry." He rubbed his hands over his face. "I just can't deal with talking about her in the past tense."

"I get it man." He cleared his throat and started again.

"So, other then reading and learning she is an otherwise normal person?" Dan rephrased the question for him.

"Yeah I guess." Luke considered. "At least as normal as Lorelai is."

"Tell me more about her."

"Like what?" He asked.

"What other memories do you have of Rory?"

"Man we can be here all day with all the memories I have. They come into my diner everyday." He paused. "Well, they used to, before..." He cleared his throat. "Anyway, I remember when she got the chicken pox."

"What happened then?

"Well..." his mind flashed back to when Rory was sick.

_Babette is Lorelai's neighbor and one day she came barging in the door of the diner, "Luke! Oh there ya are gorgeous. I need some donuts and coffee and soup to go right away."_

"_Why are ordering donuts, you don't eat those Babette?"_

"_Well, sugar, Rory has the chicken pox and poor Lorelai is home with her and can't leave and she has barely slept in a couple of days and she looks like she is gonna keel over, so I thought I would get them something to eat, since Lorelai don't cook and coffee to help her wake up a bit."_

"_Babette, relax. Breath." I tried to calm her down but that sent her off on another rant._

"_I can't Luke I have to get this back over there before I leave for the weekend with Morey. You know he has a gig with some old buddies in New York so we're making a weekend out of it."_

"_That's nice Babette. Why don't you go ahead and go and I'll run this over to Lorelai and Rory, ok?"_

"_Aw, you'd do that? You're a doll ya know that?" She pinched my cheek as she talked._

_I pushed her hand away, "yeah, yeah. Just go ahead Babette. Enjoy your weekend and I'll take care of making sure the girls are fed ok?"_

"_I'll do that now Luke. Boy was I worried when I thought they wouldn't have any help while I'm gone." She walked to the door as she talked, "and now I know they will be in good hands. See ya doll." She waved as she walked out the door. _

So I packed up the order and came over here and found out that Babette was, for the first time since I've known her, not exaggerating. Lorelai looked like death warmed over. She didn't sleep much because she ended up having to hold Rory's hands at night so she wouldn't scratch the sores she had.

When she opened the door her eyes were glassy and it looked like she was gonna cry. My heart went out to her.

"_A little birdie told me you have a sick kid in here. So I brought you something to eat."_

"_Thank you Luke. You have no idea how glad I am to see you." She opened the door and invited me in. We went into the kitchen and I put the bags on the table and started to unpack them._

"_Wow, how long do you expect us to stay holed up in here?" She laughed as she asked me this because I brought her a lot more food then Babette had ordered for her._

"_Not very long." I looked at her, "I would expect to need a lot more food if you are stuck here for more then a day or two. Here." I handed her some coffee._

"_What I don't have to work for it today?" She sipped the coffee and actually sighed._

"_Well, you look like you've had a rough couple of days. I'll argue with you about coffee later."_

"_Thanks, Luke." _

"_Mom?" Rory heard our voices in the kitchen._

_Lorelai, put down her coffee and went to see what she wanted. I followed and saw poor Rory covered with spots. "Hey babe. How are you feeling?"_

"_I feel itchy." She went to scratch but Lorelai grabbed her gloved hands._

"_You can't scratch, babe. You'll get scars from these things if you do."_

"_I know." Rory seemed mad. _

"_Hey, Luke brought us some food. You hungry?"_

"_No. I'm itchy and I want to scratch." She was getting really angry now and began tugging her hands away from her mother._

_Honey, I can't let you scratch. I am sorry. I know it will feel better but it will open the sores and cause even more to grow out and it'll take a lot longer to heal from it." Rory stopped tugging on her mom's hands. She knew she was right but it didn't make her feel any better._

_Lorelai looked so whipped so I stepped into the room. "Hey Rory."_

"_Hey Luke." She barely even looked my way. "Do you mind if I borrow your mom for a few minutes?"_

"_No, I'm just gonna read and try to forget about scratching." Lorelai let go of her hands and stood up as she turned over and began reading her book._

_I took her by the arm and lead her out to the living room. "Look, why don't you go get some sleep. I'll stay with Rory and make sure she doesn't scratch."_

"_Oh Luke I couldn't ask you to do that?" _

"_You're not asking, I'm offering." She started to argue again but I persisted. "You look like you haven't slept much in the last few days and you're are both irritable so get some rest so you can deal with this better and I'll keep Rory company."_

_She looked at me for a few minutes. "Are you sure?"_

"_Yeah, I'm sure."_

_She leaned over and rested her head against my shoulder. "Thank you." Then she turned and went upstairs and I went to see Rory._

_When I walked into her room she was lightly scratching her arm. "Hey."_

_She jumped when I walked in and looked guilty for scratching. "Hey Luke." She looked past me. "Where's mom?"_

"_I convinced her to get a little sleep. I thought, if it' ok with you, that I would keep you company for a bit." I sat in Lorelai's chair at the side of her bed and reached over to feel her forehead looking to see if she had a fever. "How're you feeling?"_

"_Like I'm burning up from the inside and the sores are the blisters forming from the intense heat." She reached down to scratch her arm but I took her hand in mine._

"_Wow, that's pretty bad." She was looking down at my hand holding hers. "You hungry?"_

"_Oh boy am I. I can't seem to eat anything though. I have sores in my mouth and it makes chewing rather difficult."_

"_Well, what would you like? I'll make you anything you want." She sat there and thought for a moment. When I saw her face light up I knew she thought of something. "Mashed potatoes!"_

"_Mashed potatoes?"_

"_Yeah, they are good, they are made from a solid food and I love them." She gave me her mother's pout. "And you did say you'd make me anything."_

_I smirked at her. "So I did. But I'll have to run to the diner and get some."_

"_No you don't. Babette brought us over some groceries and since mom didn't give her a list she just got a few things she thought we might need."_

"_Why would she do that?" _

"_Well, apparently she thought that mom could cook a little so she brought groceries. When she found out she couldn't she just unpacked 'em and left 'em. So we should have some somewhere."_

_I got up and looked around the kitchen and found a new bag of potatoes. "Ok, I'll make you mashed potatoes but it's gonna take a little time."_

"_That's ok. Where else am I gonna go right now."_

"_Right."_

"So I made her mashed potatoes three times a day for a week and brought her puzzle books to keep her hands busy and we played chess too..." He smiled at the memory of the bond they had formed over that short period of time.

"That's a pretty good memory." He could tell he cared deeply for both of these women.

"Yeah, we've been friends for a long time." He looked down at the table. "She's so smart, you know. I've never seen someone who loved school the way she does. Did you know she graduated valedictorian from Chilton Preparatory Academy? And now she's wowing them at Yale."

He looked up at Dan. "Please find her. She still has so much she has to do and see and experience, you know. She hasn't even had a chance to really live yet."

"I can promise you this. We will do absolutely everything we can to find her and bring her home." Dan promised then changed the subject. "Why didn't you two get married?"

Luke looked up at him then shrugged. "I found out last Thanksgiving that I had a 12 year old daughter that my ex-girlfriend never told me about." As Luke talked about the situation with Dan he felt bad because he could picture it all in his mind's eye and realized what an ass he had been to her. How he had taken her for granted and pushed her out of his life.

"Well Luke, I have to say I am glad we talked. I think I have a pretty good picture of Rory and her mother. It should help a lot." He stood up from the table and started to gather his things. "I think that's all I need for now." He pulled out a business card and handed it to him. "If there is anything you can think of that could help, give us a call."

Luke took the card and put it in his wallet. "I will thanks." Luke shook his hand before following him out to the living room.

Mike stood up as Dan and Luke walked into the living room. "Thanks Chris." He held out his hand to him. "I appreciate your time." He gathered his own things as Emily came down the stairs.

"Oh, are you all done?"

"Yes Mrs. Gilmore, we are going to head out and talk to the police and sift through the evidence Dan found in Rory's room." He held out his hand to her. "We will keep you posted on anything we find."

"Yes, thank you." She shook his hand. "Please find my granddaughter."

"We will do everything possible to bring her home." He smiled at her then turned and picked up his things and walked out onto the porch.

Emily looked at both men standing in the living room. "Well, Lorelai fell asleep finally." She walked over and sat on the couch.

Chris went right over to Emily and sat down. "That's good, right? I mean she is stressed big-time and can think better with a little sleep." He reassured her.

"Yes, I know. I'm just worried." After a moment she blew out a breath and tried to push her feelings aside. She looked up at Luke. "Luke could I trouble you for a cup of tea please?"

"Sure Emily." He walked back into the kitchen to make her a cup.

Mike and Dan walked out onto the porch and walked over to Richard. "Well, gentlemen, are you finished inside?"

"Yes we are." Mike shifted back and forth on his feet.

"How long do you anticipate going through the things I asked you to look into and finding my granddaughter?"

"Well, Richard, I can't give you an exact number, but I can tell you it will take some time." He saw Richard about to object and raised a hand to stop him. "I will keep you posted of any developments as they come in. Don't worry about that."

"Yes, I understand. I just want my granddaughter back home." Richard ran a hand over his face.

"I understand." Mike told him. "We have to go over everything we gathered here tonight and I already have a couple guys doing a background check on Rory to get as much information on her as possible. It should help to find her." They began walking towards their car.

"Well, just remember to call me, anytime, day or night if you find anything at all." His face looked sad. "I doubt I will sleep very well until she's home."

Mike set his bag inside the car and turned around. "We have a few starting points to go with now and after sifting through everything we will have more and may even narrow down our leads as well." He looked at Dan and then turned back to Richard. "I'll tell you this much right now though. Something is not right. I don't know what it is yet but something about this whole situation is off."

"What do you mean?"

"I really don't know, but the minute I do I will let you know."

"Alright." Richard rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "You've had a chance to meet them. What are your first impressions?"

"Just from what I've seen I do have thoughts, but I want to go over everything with Dan and get his impressions so I can more confidently share them with you. Right now all I have is thoughts that prove nothing and I don't want to go off half cocked and tell you something and have it turn out to be wrong." Mike watched Richard carefully. "I will let you know when I am more confident in those thoughts and the background checks will either strengthen or weaken what I think."

"Alright. Drive safely and... Please bring my granddaughter home."

"I promise we will do our very best." He shook Richard's hand and got in his car with Dan. Richard stepped back and watched them drive away before walking in the house.

TBC…

9


	7. Chapter 7

Caitlin0190

All will be revealed… sometime. Hehe Thanks I am glad you like it! Here is another chapter

froggy moe

Thanks! And here you go!

justawritier

LOL I liked that too. I thought it was fitting for this. Glad you lilke it

Curley-Q

Yeah me too. If you compare Luke's memories with Chris' it shows just how much more Luke was there then Chris was.

LorLukealways

Thanks! I am glad you like it. I hope you like how I end up portraying them. I do but we shall see. I love a good Emily confrontation. Nt sure where or if it will fit though. I will have to see… Enjoy this next chapter!

Aliolyoxenfree

Don't worry he will be in there soon. Don't forget he is in London so it takes time to get there. Never fear he will be there! LOL

**Chapter 7**

Richard heard a cell phone ring as he walked back into the house and watched Chris answer. He quickened his pace to see if it had anything to do with Rory.

"Yeah." Chris answered his phone. "Yeah, ok. I'll be there in a little while." He listened as Richard watched. "Ok. Bye" Chris turned around and saw Richard there. "Oh hey, Richard. I have to go for a little while."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, my mom called and wants me to come and see Gigi for a bit." He stood up. "She's having a bit of trouble with her so..."

"Of course, of course. You have another daughter too." He held out a hand to him. "If we hear anything while you are gone I'll call your cell phone."

He shook Richard's hand. "Thanks, Richard. I'll be back in a little while." He turned to Emily. "Let me know if you need anything Emily."

"I will Christopher. Thank you." He smiled at her and walked out the front door.

Luke came back into the living room with tea for Emily. "Here you go Emily." He set it on the coffee table and sat in the chair in the living room.

"Thank you Luke." She picked up the cup and stood up. "I am going to go stay with Lorelai for a little while."

"Ok. We will be down here should you need anything my dear." He took her other hand and squeezed it before she walked upstairs.

Richard sat down and looked over at Luke. He seemed to be lost in thought. "Are you alright, Luke?" He asked as he sat down across from him.

Luke looked up. "Yeah, I'll be fine." Luke ran his hand over his grizzled face. "At least I will be when Rory is home." He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees.

"I understand completely."

Richard's cell phone rang. He pulled it out quickly and answered. "Hello?"

"Oh hello Logan… yes you heard correctly." He got up and paced as he talked, Luke watching him the whole time. "Yes, we have the police and I have hired private investigators."

Luke listened to Richard talk to Logan and reassured him that all was well in hand. He was thinking about what he could do to find her but was at a loss. He just wanted her home. He jumped as he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Luke?" Richard pulled his hand away from his shoulder. "That was Logan. He is going to try to get a flight out. He will let us know when he is flying out."

"Ok good." He ran a hand over his grizzled face. "He should be here. It will mean a lot to her." He stood up and walked over to the window. "I just hope that when he gets here she will be home already."

Emily walked quietly into Lorelai's room and sat in the chair by her bed watching her daughter sleep a very troubled sleep. She saw the lines of worry etched in her face and her heart went out to her. She had been through so much in her life, whether it was her decision or not. She couldn't help but wonder if she would have gone through so much if she had just married Christopher and not ran away from home so long ago. Now it wasn't an option. She chose to do everything the hard way and had come out on top in spite of it all. Emily thought of how proud she was of her daughter and then realized she had never really told her this. She had become a strong independent woman who had been able to realize her dreams in spite of the way her life had gone. She had always thought to tell her she was proud of her would be akin to telling her she approved of the choices she made. Which she didn't. But Lorelai had gone out on her own and made a life for her and her daughter. Now, as she watched her sleep, she wished she could make it all better for her.

She sat and drank her tea and watched her daughter and contemplated what she would do once Rory was home.

After a while she let out a sigh and stood up. She decided to go back downstairs and see what Richard and Luke were up to. She walked out of the room and left the door ajar so she could hear if Lorelai woke up.

Luke and Richard looked up from their seats when they heard foot steps coming down the stairs. Luke stood up when he saw her coming down the stairs. "Do you need any more tea, Emily?"

"Uh, no thank you Luke." She walked over and sat next to Richard on the couch.

Luke could see how weary they both looked. "How about something stronger?" Lord knows he wanted a drink too.

Emily looked up at him. "Yes, I think that is just what I need right now, thank you."

"Richard?" Luke asked before heading into the kitchen. "Yes, I think I could use a drink right now as well. Thank you my boy."

"Coming right up." He turned and walked into the kitchen. He got out the whiskey and some glasses. Just as he set them on the table he heard a blood curdling scream come from upstairs and immediately ran out of the kitchen and to the stairs. He beat Richard and Emily there and was up the stairs in 2 seconds flat running into Lorelai's room. He ran in and saw her thrashing around in bed screaming and ran over to her.

He sat on the bed and grabbed her shoulders. "Lorelai!" He tried to hold onto her but she jerked away still caught in her nightmare. He grabbed her shoulders again and held tight. "Lorelai, it's me Luke!"

She abruptly woke up and looked at Luke, her breath heaving and her body shaking. Tears fell down her face as she realized it was a dream. Luke took her in his arms and tried his best to sooth her. "It's ok... it'll be ok. I'm here." He told her as he gently rocked her as she sobbed and clutched desperately at him.

Richard and Emily stood in the door way and watched as Luke held and comforted her. Emily was riveted to the scene before her. She had always thought Luke wasn't right for Lorelai, but as she watched she couldn't help but see the love he had for her and the trust she had in him to let him comfort her. Even after all that happened between them, he was still there for her. Being her rock; someone strong for her to hold onto. She just wished that Christopher was the one doing all that for her now.

She tapped Richard on the shoulder and gestured for him to follow her out of the bedroom. "When is Christopher going to be back?" She demanded quietly.

Richard looked over his shoulder at Luke and Lorelai and moved them both farther from the door. "He will be back soon I imagine."

"He should be the one taking care of Lorelai and comforting her; not him." She would not let herself think that there was anyone else for her daughter except Chris. In spite of what she had seen she still wanted Christopher with Lorelai. He was, after all, Rory's father.

"Emily." Richard lowered his voice. "I don't think you should count on Christopher too much."

"Why not?" She was a little taken aback by that statement. She thought he had always like Christopher.

"Well, he does have Gigi to take care of and..." He wasn't sure what else to say. It was just a feeling.

"What does that have to do with anything?""

"I don't know Emily, but something seems a bit off about him lately."

"Well, maybe he thought they were going to get back together and was disappointed when they didn't." She stated. "Or maybe it's the fact that his daughter is missing. All that could have affected him somehow."

"Maybe." Richard sighed. "Maybe you're right." He still wanted to keep an eye on him.

"Let's go downstairs and let her calm down." He began to gently guide her in the direction of the stairs.

"But I want to see how she is." She protested.

"Later, Emily. Let's let her calm down first." They walked down the stairs and went into the kitchen and got the drink Luke was going to make for them.

Lorelai's tears began to calm down and she was hiccupping, but she held fast to Luke, still afraid of the dream she had.

When he felt her begin to calm down he pulled back slightly to look at her. The vision broke his heart. Her eyes were swollen from all the crying she had done that day. What he could see of them were bloodshot and she had tear tracks running down her face. He brought his hands to her face and gently thumbed her tears away. "You ok?"

She sniffled and Luke turned and grabbed tissues from her nightstand. "No, I'm not." She wiped her eyes and blew her nose. "I want my baby back." This statement produced more tears; quiet tears, not hysterical tears.

"I know. We'll get her back."

"How do you know?" She asked looking down at the tissue she was wringing in her hands.

Luke took her chin in his hand and gently tipped her face up to look at him. "Because I know. Alright?"

She nodded tearfully. "Promise?"

"Yeah, I promise." He smiled at her and she leaned forward and laid her head on his shoulder. She was so glad he was here. She never doubted he would be. He loved Rory so much. As if she were his own. Even though they weren't together anymore, he put aside his own personal feelings to be there to help in anyway possible.

Luke closed his eyes as he held her. He missed her so much. These last couple of months had been the worst of his life. Compounded by the earful Sookie gave him that morning in the diner. He had slowly begun to understand his part in the whole situation and squeezed her a little tighter.

"Hey, you hungry?" He pulled back looking at her. "You haven't eaten all day."

"No, I'm not hungry." She dried her eyes.

Luke looked at her closely. "Well, you have to eat something. It's dark out and you need to keep up your strength for when she gets home."

She smiled at his words. He had said when, not if. He gave her the hope she needed. She looked up at him. Yes, he was right. She would come home. "Ok, I'll eat something."

Luke stood up from the bed and pulled her up. "Come on. Let's go downstairs and I'll make you something to eat."

She nodded. "Ok." And she let him lead her downstairs

A while later they all sat in the kitchen at the table. No one was particularly hungry but they knew they had to eat. Luke had saved the sandwiches he had made earlier and put them out and made some soup to go with them. They were all discussing Logan's arrival and all hoped that she would be home by the time he got back. They were jarred from their conversation when they heard the front door fly open. Lorelai jumped out of her chair and ran for the door. "Rory!" As she neared the door she saw who it was. She stopped in her tracks when she saw who it was. "Oh, it's you"

TBC…


	8. Chapter 8

froggy moe

Thanks! I hope you like the rest of the story!

kiss and tell xo

Steps out into the open. Wait don't shoot! Here it is! LOL I am so happy that you like this story as much as I do. I was trying to get this posted last night but fell asleep, so here it is today! Enjoy this latest installment and stay tuned for more. There is still a LOT more to come 

7thgirlgal

Thanks! I love it when people tell me that! LOL Here iss the next one. Enjoy!

chocox14 

Well I guess we will have to wait and see! LOL Here's the next chapter to enjoy!

justawritier

Thanks again! Yeah he is a flighty one that Chris. But no hints as to what is exactly happening or who does what ;) Sorry! I did see the preview and can not wait to see more. I have been avoiding it since thebeginning of the season now I am watching again. I can't wait to see how it plays out I will look at you fic this weekend (Have to work a lot and take care of the kids after that so I will look at it and review it once I am done. I look forward to it! . Enjoy!

Aliolyoxenfree

Sorry, no hints. But you are welcome for the Logan interaction. He will be in future chapters so never fear

Curley-Q

I do too. He is dreamy ;) Emily is Emily. Can't change her overnight no matter what the circumstances I guess. But there is more to come so never fear she may change, then again she may not Thanks so much!

LorLukealways

You will see in a moment! Hope you like it.

Amy Hamletone 

Well, I agree. I would hate it if he got no blame in what happened because it totally started with him and I think it should be acknowledged. Thanks and I hope you like the rest!

_Hi all, Thanks again for the reviews. It makes me feel good and akes me feel like writing or even editing depending on what is said. I must say I have some great readers and would love to hear from more of them. So please R&R. I'd love to hear your opinion!_

_Now on to the story!_

**Chapter 8**

Lorelai stopped in her tracks when she saw who was standing in her house. "Oh, it's you." She sounded so disappointed as she and walked past everyone and back into the kitchen and sat back down at the table.

Luke had watched her jump up and run to the door and quickly followed her, then saw her shoulders slump and heard how disappointed she sounded when she saw it was just Chris. He turned and followed her back into the kitchen while Richard and Emily talked to Chris.

She sat at the table, gripping the edges so tight her knuckles were white. She blew out a frustrated breath and got up and began clearing the plates away to the sink. She picked up the dish brush and began to violently scrape the food off.

Luke went over to her and took the brush and the dish away from her and put them in the sink. As she put her hands on the edge of the counter he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Hey, it'll be ok." He squeezed her shoulder in support. "What's the matter?"

Finally she blew out another breath. "I understand why he came here. I do but..." She turned to look at him and crossed her arms over her chest. "But why does he have to be_ here_?" She angrily swiped at the tears running down her face for the millionth time that day.

"He's Rory's father." He couldn't believe he was defending his right to be here but he understood now that if it had been April, he would be at Anna's like Chris was here.

"I know, but he never cared enough before." She picked up the dish towel and began wringing it, needing to do something with her hands. "God, I hate him!" She whispered angrily.

To say Luke was surprised was an understatement. He never expected to hear those words come out of her mouth about Chris. "Can I ask why?"

Lorelai looked at him then out the door way to where her parents and Chris stood then back to Luke. "I'll tell you later. It's not something I want over-heard."

Luke felt his stomach tighten as an unwanted feeling entered his mind. He leaned closer to her. "He didn't hurt you did he?" He felt himself getting angry.

Lorelai grabbed his arm. "Luke, please... I'll tell you all about it later." Her eyes pleaded with him to drop the subject for the time being. "Please?"

He blew out a breath trying to push aside the anger that was growing inside him. "Ok. But later I want the whole story" he said pointing at her making it clear that he would not let it go completely.

"I promise." She nodded to him and sat at the table.

Luke poured her some coffee and began cleaning the kitchen. He needed to keep busy himself because if he thought about what Chris might have done to her his anger would grow and he needed to do something to work it off or he would go and kill that bastard. Rory's father or not.

Emily and Richard just looked at each other as Lorelai walked back into the kitchen, crest-fallen, Luke in tow, wondering what exactly was going on.

Turning to Chris, Emily asked. "How are your mother and Gigi?" She ushered him over to the couch as she spoke.

"They're fine. My mother was just having trouble getting Gigi to listen to her. She's quite a handful at this age." He sat down next to her.

She reached over and patted his arm. "Oh yes, I know how that can be."

"Any news yet?" He asked anxiously.

"No, none so far, I'm afraid." Richard answered. He was watching everything around him very carefully. Something was off, if he were to judge by Lorelai's behavior. It probably had nothing to do with this situation he was sure, but maybe they were arguing or… He decided to let it go for now.

"Would you like something to eat?" Emily offered. "We just finished, but I'm sure..."

Chris cut her off. "No thanks, Emily. My mother made sure I was well fed before I left." He smiled at her as he patted his stomach.

Emily just smiled tightly at him. He acted as if he had just finished a big meal. They had all eaten but they had to force the food down because they were all too worried about Rory to even want to eat anything. But he seemed to have eaten fine.

Richard's cell phone rang and he got up to answer it, walking out onto the porch.

The walls were dingy; worn and dirty furniture was placed around the room. Rory was lying on a bed in the corner with her hands bound and tied to the headboard with a blindfold covering her eyes and tape over her mouth. She lay very still while quiet activity went on around her. She was still groggy and confused from whatever was used to knock her out. She strained to hear what was going on hoping to gauge her surroundings.

She couldn't quite make out what the voices she was hearing were saying and gave up with a small sigh. Her thoughts turned to her mother and what must be going through her mind right now. Could she find her? Would she survive this ordeal? She had seen and heard a lot over the years that lead her to believe that, if she wasn't found soon, she would not survive. That thought terrified her. She thought about Logan in London. Would she see him again? Would he come back to help find her? Her attention was pulled away by noises around her.

Every now and then she would hear movement and low voices. She was on edge as she thought about what they may do to her.

She kept trying to remember what had happened at her house. Hoping to catch a glimpse in her mind of who these people were who had taken her.

_She had come back to spend time with her mother. It had been a couple of months since her mother and Luke had broken up but she was still miserable. Her mother knew she had made a terrible mistake and was now paying a high price for it. So Rory had gone to have a girl's weekend with her mom, hoping that would help her snap out of her depression._

_They had a wonderful time together and for a little while Lorelai had felt good and had gone to bed happily exhausted for the first time in a long time._

_A while later Rory woke with a start and looked at the clock on her night stand. It was 4:10 am. Maybe her mom was up. She decided to let it go and if she wanted to talk to Rory she would wake her up._

_She closed her eyes again and tried to go back to sleep. A few minutes later she heard her door slowly creaking open and kept her eyes closed figuring her mom wanted to talk or just lay down with her so she wasn't alone._

_When nothing happened she frowned and opened her eyes and turned over towards the door. Instantly she felt wetness held against her face covering her nose and mouth and just for a moment she saw a man's face looking at her as everything went black, wondering if this is what it was like to die._

The next thing she remembered was lying on the floor of a car as it drove away. Her head felt heavy and pounded from a chemical headache and she felt dizzy. She went to bring her hand to her face and felt them bound, then tried to move her feet but they were also restrained. She had a blind fold on and tape covering her mouth. She could hear voices in what had to be the front seat of the car. She could only make out bits and pieces of their conversation but felt herself drifting off again. The last thing she heard was...

Suddenly she gasped as she felt a breath on her face and voice speaking low. "Well, someone is awake." She felt a finger trace lightly down her arm. "So pretty too."

The voice dropped to a whisper as he put his mouth to her ear. "He said not to touch you." He began running the palm of his hand up and down her arm as she whimpered and tried to cringe away from him but he held her back with a tight grip on her arm. "But he's not here to stop me."

Rory began to shake violently as he began to run both hands over her, touching her where ever he could, ignoring her crying.

Then his hands were gone and Rory's ears perked up at the new sounds in the room. This time the voices were closer and she strained to hear, hoping to find out something that would help her.

"How is she?" A voice asked. She was still groggy and had a hard time hearing.

"She's shaky but otherwise fine." The man who had been touching her responded.

"I brought some food. See that she gets fed." The other voice said low. "I need her to be ok for this plan to work."

That was the last she heard as the voices drifted away from her. She could smell the food and realized she was really hungry. She hoped that they would make her wait too long to eat.

She began to cry as the weight of the situation grew heavier on her. She couldn't believe what was happening to her. She wanted her mom.

TBC…

5


	9. Chapter 9

justawritier

Thanks! I can't wait either. I just LL back together Here's the next one, hope you like it.

Shawn-n-Bell

Thanks so much! I am glad you like it. Enjoy this newest chapter! 

LukePlusLorelaiEqualsL O V ...

LOL I totally agree. I saw that fight and was very disappointed. I just don't see it that way. Thanks and I am glad you like the story. … But we shall see if your theory pans out ;)

Aliolyoxenfree

 you will be seeing more of her very soon. And Logan too. Thanks!

Elliotlvu

These things never seem to work out the way you want them huh? I am glad you like the story Thanks so much! 

LorLukealways

Hehe Yeah he is an ass. You will have to wait a wee bit to see what happened but I am sooo glad you like it.  I hope you like this next one too. I think it turned out good. Thanks so much!

Curley-Q

LOL Subtle… Here you go. More action coming right up! But is it good or bad? Hmmm Thanks! 

kiss and tell xo

LOL Ok here you go. Although you may have to wait a tiny bit to find out what happened ;) You should be seeing more of Rory now too. So glad you like it! Thanks!

coffeeberry

See now it was Paul Anka on top that tip the scales in your favor! LOL here you go! 

_Hi all, I know the last chapter was really short so I decided to not make you wait too long for the next chapter. I am so enjoying writing this story and hopefully all of my writing will be as enjoyable as this to you as well as me. Thanks so much for your reviews. I can't begin to tell you what they mean to me. Please enjoy the story and R&R!!!! _

**Chapter 9**

The police came by once again to talk to Lorelai and let her know what has been happening so far. They had put out an All Points Bulletin (APB) across the state for all officers to keep an eye out for Rory and were stopping all cars that had women possibly matching her description. All locations that were known to Rory were being thoroughly searched but so far they have found nothing. While they were there they also installed a recording device on the phone in case a call came in and showed them all how to use it.

Sookie came back over with a ton of food and various people from town stopped in to see what they could do to help. Lorelai didn't want to see a lot of people so Richard and Emily handled the visitors and quickly and quietly thanked them for their offers and had them all leave and told them to search around town and asked them to call their cell phones if they found anything.

Luke was there also helping to put the food Sookie brought away and kept busy while giving Lorelai the space she needed and making sure she ate and was there to comfort her if need be.

Chris was watching the goings on. He was more then a little angry that Luke was still there. He didn't want him anywhere near Lorelai. He had no place there. Lorelai was his and he wanted him gone. But was at a loss as to how to get him away from the house without causing a scene. He wanted to be there to comfort Lorelai but every time he got near her she would find a reason to move away. He was getting frustrated. He just wanted to be there for her and for her to want him again. She had, after all, come to him the night she and Luke broke up. So why wouldn't she let him near her now?

Richard had the news on but paid no attention to it as he too watched what was going. He couldn't keep his eyes and mind from wandering to what was unfolding around him. Luke was being quietly supportive and would sometimes keep his distance giving her space but made it clear he wasn't going anywhere if she needed him.

Christopher seemed to be quietly seething. He just sat there watching Luke. The animosity between the two was thick in the air around them.

Then there was Emily. His wonderful Emily. She was so amazing in her display of strength. She was being very attentive to Lorelai's needs and quietly firm with the visitors who were dropping by to offer help, support or food.

She had even posted Kirk in the yard for a time to discourage too many people from coming by. Too many people were over-whelming Lorelai and she did her best to protect her from any further pain or stress.

Taylor meanwhile had put the town on red alert. Any stranger was watched carefully; every conceivable place was checked for Rory's presence. And Kirk left his post in the yard to conduct door-to-door searches asking to look for Rory. He even came to Lorelai's house wanting to search it but Luke quickly chased him off much to everyone's amusement.

This really was a strange little town. Richard thought to himself.

Later that night in the kitchen Lorelai sat at the table, a coffee mug forgotten between her hands, thinking about what else she could do to try to find her daughter.

Luke was moving around cleaning and keeping busy while quietly offering his support. He saw her yawn and walked over putting a hand on her shoulder. "You ok?"

"Yeah just tired." She rubbed her eyes, "I just don't want to go to sleep yet, I want to be awake if she calls or comes home. I've slept enough. I just want her back." A tear slowly made its way down her cheek.

Luke squeezed her shoulder. "Lorelai, you need to try to sleep. You won't do her any good if you collapse." He completely understood how she felt. He had no intention on going to sleep any time soon himself. He looked at her and took a deep breath. "I'm going to go home and sleep once you're in bed..."

Lorelai turned quickly to him cutting him off. "No... Don't go. Please?" She looked around and pulled him away. "I don't know if Chris is staying but I don't trust him. Please stay." She looked him in the eye. "I don't want to be alone with him."

He locked eyes with her a moment, the wheels in his mind turning over and over. Finally his gaze softened. "Ok. I'll stay. But I need to go get some clothes and call April. I promised I would keep her updated."

"You can call her from here if you want." She pleaded with him. "Please? I need you." Pain was writ clearly across her face.

"I need clothes too Lorelai" He could see fear in her eyes along with the pain. "I promise I will be back as fast as possible. Then we'll talk." He looked at her pointedly. She knew what he wanted to talk about.

She turned and walked over to her desk and pulled her spare keys out and walked back over to him. "Take these. If I am asleep the doors will be locked." She pressed them into his hand. "This way you can just come back in." She watched the emotion flash across his face. Before he nodded and put the keys in his pocket.

"Will you stay until I fall asleep?"

"Yeah, I can do that." He adjusted the cap on his head. "Do you mind if I go ahead and call April then?"

"Absolutely. Go ahead." She backed towards the living room. "I'll just..." she started, pointing over her shoulder and left the room.

Luke watched her go before he picked up the phone and dialed.

Lorelai walked into the living room. "I just wanted to let you know I am going to bed." She turned to her parents. "You can have my room. I'm going to sleep in Rory's room." She started to walk back towards the kitchen but stopped when she heard Chris' voice. "I'll sleep on the couch." She looked at him for the first time in a while, then nodded and walked into the kitchen.

Chris knew Luke would have to go home at some point and then he could get Lorelai alone; all to himself.

Luke hung up the phone and looked into Rory's room, watching Lorelai walk around, looking at and touching her things as if they would somehow tell her where her daughter was and if she was alright. He walked over to the doorway. "Hey."

Lorelai whipped around, her hand flying to her chest. "Oh, hey. How's April?"

"She's good. She sends her prayers." He looked down at the desk he had built for Rory and ran his finger along the edge then looked up at Lorelai watching him.

"Come on." He said shaking himself out of his thoughts. He walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder and gently guided her to the bed. "Try to get some sleep." Neither of them noticed the shadow near the door.

"You'll wait until I fall asleep before you leave?" She asked as she climbed into bed.

"Yeah. I'll wait until you're asleep. I promise." He nodded as he tucked her in.

She looked up at him with watery eyes. "Thank you, Luke. For everything."

He moved a stray hair from her forehead. "You're welcome." He said quietly and moved away to sit in the chair in the corner.

"Good night Luke."

"Good night Lorelai."

Chris breathed a silent sigh of relief as he turned back to the living room. He would have a chance to be alone with her when Luke finally left. He laid back on the couch and waited for him to leave. Then he could convince her that they belonged together and when they got Rory back they could be a family. He knew she loved him deep down. They had known each other their whole lives and had a daughter. That meant they were tied together forever.

Luke sat in the chair and watched Lorelai. As she fell asleep his mind wandered. He hadn't had a lot of time to really mull over what Sookie had said to him in the diner. But now, as her words floated through his mind he started to replay certain events and made it a point to watch Lorelai through out his memories. Each time something had come up he watched her. Pain had been in her face for so long and he had never noticed it. She had been supportive of his need to have April in his life but in pain as to how he had been handling the situation.

He sat forward in the chair and put his hands over his face. He had known her for so long and had always known when something was wrong. Was always there to make her feel better and to talk when she needed to talk to someone. Since he had found out about April he hadn't paid as much attention. He had been so wrapped up in his own situation that he hadn't seen the pain she felt. He had taken her for granted. Something he had never thought he had been capable of where she was concerned. But he had done it.

After all they had been through before; after he insisted they tell each other everything and not shut each other out and share their lives; he had done exactly that to her. He felt so ashamed for how he had treated her.

He sat back in the chair and leaned his head back. He realized sadly that everything that had happened, all the pain they had been through the past few months had been his fault. Even when Lorelai went to Chris. He had pushed her away and so far out of his life she must have felt like a stranger. And she had gone to the one man who still chased her and wanted her; and it was all his fault.

And he knew Chris must have just been biding his time until something happened so he could swoop in and make his move. And make his move he did. They had slept together.

And this made him wonder what exactly had happened that night. Lorelai had said she hated Christopher and didn't trust him. Why would she say that? What had happened? A myriad of things ran through his mind of what could have happened and he didn't like any scenario.

He looked over at Lorelai again and saw she was deeply asleep. He knew they had to talk. She had promised to tell him what had happened. But he knew now was not the time. She needed to sleep and they needed to bring Rory back home. Then they could talk. It may be too late to save their relationship as it was, but maybe they could salvage their friendship.

He got up and pulled the covers up under her chin and walked out of the room towards the back door, stopping to look over to where Christopher slept on the couch. He turned and walked out the back door making sure it was locked to hurry home to pack a bag to bring back over. When he came back he wasn't going anywhere until they found Rory and brought her home. He wanted to get her back and keep her and Lorelai safe.

Christopher heard Luke walk out of Rory's bedroom and closed his eyes waiting for him to leave the house. Once he heard the back door close he lay there for about ten minutes to make sure he was really gone before getting up off the couch. He went first to the front door to make sure it was locked and then to the kitchen door. He smiled as he found that door locked too. That meant Luke wouldn't be back tonight. He turned and went to Rory's door and stood there for a few minutes just watching her sleep. She was so beautiful.

He quietly walked over to the bed and looked down at her. He reached out a hand and gently touched her cheek making her twitch a little. He pulled his hand back. Not wanting to wake her just yet. He moved his hand instead down to slowly pull back the blanket that covered her and folded it over neatly. He wanted to touch her so badly. He wanted to show her she belonged with him.

TBC…


	10. Chapter 10

kiss and tell xo

You got it! Here you go!

Curley-Q

Hehe well, read away and you will see some stuff. Big on the creep factor if you ask me! Hope you like it!

Leire

I definitely will. In fact here you go! Enjoy!

Brookeleighgilmore

Ah yes I like nurturing Luke so much. I don't like sad Lorelai but it has to play out and hopefully I will do it well and make it convincing. Enjoy this next chapter!

coffeeberry

LOL Sometimes I think they will be too long then I find the place to stop it and I wonder if it's too short, but the main thing is it has to make sense where I leave off on a chapter or I will obsess about it. LOL Glad you like it! Stay tuned for more! Oh wait here you go! ;)

Brookeleighgilmore

Oh yes, she definitely is. And she will be around more soon I promise! Enjoy!

Brookeleighgilmore

Hehehe I am with you! Here's the next!

Brookeleighgilmore

Thanks!

LorLukealways

I agree wholeheartedly. Let's see what happens. Here's the next part. Enjoy!

froggy moe

Thanks and there will be more Rory to come so never fear this will be from her perspective as well. I hope I can pull it off though. Let me know if I make a boo boo ;) Thanks so much!

justawritier

Boy do I know what you mean. My computer goes wonky every once in a while. That's why I love the beauty of a flash drive ;) Won't lose anything that way! I am glad you like this fic. It means a lot to me. Hope you enjoy this chapter too!

ggpassion

Thanks! I love keeping people on the edge of their seat, but I will not drag certain aspects out too much. So here is the next chapter and I hope you enjoy it as much as the last one!

sam 

LOL Thanks! Glad you like it. Here's more for the lovely chant! ;)

lnl4ever

LOL I'm with you. Here's the next one for you. Thanks!

Aliolyoxenfree

LOL Yes he is an ass. Thanks for the review and here's the next one.

7thgirlgal

Mean shmean LOL just kidding! Well, I hope this next chapter makes up for it. Enjoy!

hollowgirl22

I am so glad you like it. But seeing as how Jess isn't in the picture (as much as I like them together, it probably won't happen. Sorry!  But I do hope you like the rest of the fic! Enjoy!

Shawn-n-Bell

Ah yes, tension is a good thing. I have never written this much tension before but I am glad it is going according to plan. Thanks! Here's the next to enjoy too!

unknown 

LOL Thanks! And here it is! Enjoy!

LukePlusLorelaiEqualsL O V ...

Thanks! I hate cliffhangers too, but it just feels appropriate, ya know? But the rest you will have to just wait and see ;)

Shawn-n-Bell

All will eventually be revealed ;) Thanks! I am having a ball writing this too. Hope you enjoy the next chapter!

unknown 

Thanks! I am glad you like this story!

LukePlusLorelaiEqualsL O V ...

Me too! Thanks! I am so glad you like it. I love the reviews I am getting and makes me wanna post faster. LOL I have a few more typed up but am fine tuning so this one will have to hold you over for at least a day ;) I am honestly having the best time writing this story and am so glad everyone seems to really like it.

_Thanks so much everyone for the reviews. I can't tell you how much they mean to me. I greatly appreciate them and like I said it makes me want to post faster. LOL I am sure you won't mind. Anyway, here is the next chapter, I hope you like it!_

_On with the show!_

**Chapter 10**

Luke walked down the streets of Stars Hollow at a brisk pace. He had a bad feeling about this entire situation. He knew Lorelai wanted him there with her, that wasn't an issue. He would be there no matter what. He loved Rory like she was his own and would do anything he could to help her. He knew she needed to be home as much as Lorelai needed her to be home.

No the nagging feeling he was having was because of Lorelai's reaction to Christopher. What exactly was going on there? Why was she reacting that way towards him?

He didn't really know but he knew one thing. He didn't trust Chris at all. His gut was screaming at him and he wasn't sure why. So many things could be the cause of it. He just knew that the only thing he trusted right now was his gut and it was telling him to hurry.

He started jogging to the diner door and opened it up running inside and upstairs to his apartment; grabbing a duffel bag he began throwing clothes into it. He wanted to be there if any news came in about Rory. Maybe that was what his gut was telling him. Maybe news would come in while he was gone and he would miss it. He decided to take the truck back over so he could get there faster.

He zipped his bag and grabbed his sleeping bag and toothbrush and ran back out the door.

Chris stared down at her and watched as his hand moved towards her and gently touched her soft skin. She moved a little and he stopped, letting her settle back down. He moved his hand again and lightly slid it down her arm. Her skin felt wonderful under his hand.

He remembered the last time he had touched her this way. She had come to him after she broke up with Luke. She needed him and he had been there for her. They had spent an incredible night together. He was disappointed when he woke up and she wasn't there in the morning. He had tried to call her but she wouldn't take his calls. He couldn't figure that out but he was very happy when she had called him this time.

He had waited so long to be able to touch her again. He just wanted to hold her and make love to her, kissing her beautiful lips.

He smiled. Soon he would be able to do just that. Once Rory was home he could convince her that they were a family and they belonged together. She would listen to him and smile and throw her arms around him.

She would look at him again with love in her eyes when Rory was home and tell him that yes they should be a family and they would be together.

His hand moved down to the hem of her shirt and he slowly pulled it up revealing her stomach and reached his hand out to touch her again. Lightly he traced his finger tips over her belly and watched as she moaned lightly and moved. He smiled again and took her shirt again and started to pull it up further when he heard a noise. He stopped and turned his head to listen; when he heard it again he quickly turned and ran silently back to the couch. Just as he got settled he heard the back door open and close quietly. He lay there watching the kitchen door way.

He saw Luke creep back into Rory's room with bundles in his arms. _What the hell was he doing back here and how did he get in?_ Then realized he had to have a key. He lay back on the couch quietly seething as Luke once again butted in where he didn't belong. He would just have to wait a little longer.

Lorelai was having a weird dream. She was running through dark looking frantically for Rory. She heard noises all around her but she could only run around yelling for Rory to come out from her hiding spot.

_She heard a noise like something break somewhere behind her and turned to look where the noise had come from. In the dark she couldn't see much and it made it hard for her to discern much more then weird shapes and flutters of movement around her, but she could feel something touch her every now and then. _

_She heard another noise coming once again from behind her and she whipped around to see what it was but nothing was there. _

_She continued moving around in the dark afraid but still looking for Rory her arms stretched out before her. Another noise came from behind her and as she turned around again and felt something brush against her arm. She grabbed her arm and turned again as another sound echoed around her ears. She felt a chill suddenly run through her as another noise sprang up and this time she felt something scrape lightly over her belly and it made her shiver in fear. _

_She turned and ran blindly through in the dark calling out to Rory, desperately trying to find her. She heard a louder noise behind her and turned quickly to see a hulking shape towering over her and she reached out her arms to ward off her attacker and opened her mouth to scream…_

Luke walked into Rory's room and noticed the blanket folded neatly down to her waist and her shirt lifted up baring her abdomen. She was beginning to move and he went over to her to cover her again and as soon as he started moving the blanket she awoke with a start, pushing out with her arms, gasping, ready to scream.

Luke grabbed her and pulled her to him. "Shh, shh. It's ok, it's just me; it's just Luke." He held her tightly until she started to calm down. Her body was shaking as the memory of the dream raced through her mind.

When she relaxed against him he asked, "Are you ok?"

"Yeah" she pulled back a little shakily. "I was just having a weird dream."

"What was it about?"

She rubbed her eyes. "I was running through the dark looking for Rory and I heard all these noises. I kept turning around every time I heard something but I couldn't see anything but something kept scraping against me. Then the last noise I heard I turned and this huge figure is right there and then I woke up and you were here."

She shook her head trying to get the images and feelings out of her mind. "God, it felt so real."

A thought enters Luke's mind, but he keeps it to himself for the time being and focuses on Lorelai. "It was just a dream." He placed a hand over hers.

"I know."

"Did you see… a face in your dream?"

Lorelai thought back to that point of her dream and closed her eyes trying to pull up the image. "No." She whispered as a tear slipped down her cheek as she opened her eyes.

"Hey." He reached over and gently pulled her to him. "This is not your fault."

"I just want Rory back." She sniffed. "Why did they have to take her?" She pulled away and looked him in the eyes. "They should have taken me. I'm the one who deserves to disappear."

"No." Luke said a little louder then he intended. He lowered his voice as he continued. "No. Neither one of you deserve this."

"How can you say that? You of all people should hate me, but instead, here you are, helping me and being wonderful and I feel so badly because of what happened to us and how I hurt you…"

Luke tried to interrupt her but she stopped him. "It seems that, other then Rory, the only thing I was ever any good at was hurting and disappointing the people who are important to me." She hiccupped as tears poured down her face. "I mean, even my parents. I know they don't think much of me, but they do love me because I am their daughter. They just don't like me." She looked directly at him. "You see? It's because I've hurt them just as much as they've hurt me. Maybe more. I'm just a big disappointment." She put her hand over her face. "So you're wrong. I do deserve to be the one who is hurt; not Rory." She wiped her tears forcefully. "They probably think this is all my fault I…"

Luke got up as she continued her rant and shut the door and came back to sit on the edge of the bed and placed his hand over her mouth. "Are you done?" She looked at him with wide eyes and nodded.

He reached over and took a hold of her shoulders. "Now you listen to me. You were not the only one who made mistakes and hurt the people who were important to you. I'm the one who pushed you away; I'm the one at fault for what happened between us…" This time Lorelai tried to interrupt but he wouldn't have it.

"It's my turn." He blew out a breath. "I recently got an earful from someone about how I played my own part in what happened between us. It made me think. I mean really think about what all had happened. And I realized things I should have known a long time ago."

His eyes began to mist up as he spoke. "Ever since I found out about April, I've been pushing you away. I didn't even realize that's what I was doing. What I was putting you through. I didn't pay attention to how you felt and how this was affecting you." The tears slipped down his face. "I just figured you'd always be there."

"I was so wrapped up in that whole situation that I didn't see." Lorelai reached up and gently wiped away his tears. "And then I realized that, had that been anyone else you were seeing then you would have been gone. You would have run long ago not wanting to get in the way. If it was someone you were just dating you would have backed away and moved on with little fuss."

"You didn't do that with me. You stayed and tried to be supportive, wanting to be able to help and get to know her and… I wouldn't let you in."

"And then I realized that if this had happened when we were just friends, before we ever got together, I would have turned to you for help. You would have been the first person I told about this. You would have been there for me and I would have let you in." More tears fell from both of them and they each wiped them away.

"I even understand about what happened with Chris. I don't blame you for any of that anymore." He looked deeply into her eyes. "You didn't disappoint me, Lorelai. I disappointed you."

Lorelai choked back a sob as she looked into his eyes.

"I wish you would have told me how you were feeling but I understand why you didn't. I am so sorry for that Lorelai. For everything."

"But never feel that this situation is all your fault. It isn't." He squeezed her shoulders. "And as for your parents they do love you. I have seen it especially over the last couple of days. You and your parents have hurt each other over the years, yes, but I don't think they blame you for this."

"But..."

"Still my turn." He rubber her arms. "If they blamed you then Emily would be saying all kinds of things to make you think that or to make you feel bad. She would put you down and keep you down, but Lorelai. She is not doing that. She is here for you and you are letting her be here."

"And I'm here for you too." He looked in her eyes. "No matter what." He held her hands in his and looked at them as they gripped each other. "It may be too late for us, I don't know, I hope not, but that's your call. Just know that I will always love you and Rory. No matter what." He pulled her to him and held her tightly. "No conditions."

Lorelai wrapped her arms around his neck and sobbed into his shoulder. When she had calmed down a bit she pulled back and looked at him. "Luke?"

"Yeah?" He wiped her tears away gently with his fingertips.

"It's not too late for us." She reached up and traced the features of his face with her fingers. "I love you too." They stared at each other for a few minutes. "We'll find Rory and then we'll talk." She laid her head on his shoulder and whispered. "Then we'll talk."

He nodded as she spoke a smile on his face. "We'll talk and work everything out and go on… all of us… together."

He tilted her chin up and covered her mouth with his, happy to feel her lips against his once again; happy that they were on their right path again. He pulled back and smiled at her. He stood up, "Now I think we need to get some sleep. We need to get up early tomorrow and brainstorm with everyone else and come up with some ideas of what we can do."

He pulled the blanket up to her chin and kissed her forehead. "I can't just sit here all day again. I have to do something to help find her."

"Thank God I'm not the only one who feels that way. If I sit in this house all day again tomorrow I will scream." She reached her hand up to cup his face. "I want to be actively involved in this."

"Good." He got up and bent down to get his sleeping bag.

"Why don't you squeeze in here with me?"

"No. The bed is too small and I don't want either of us to fall off." He began to untie his sleeping bag. "I'll just lay this out right here and sleep next to the bed."

"Ok." She handed him a pillow from the bed and as he took it he looked at her.

"I promise, I am not going anywhere Lorelai."

"Ok." She smiled as she lay back on the bed into her own pillow. They would be ok. They would find Rory and they would all be ok. "Good night Luke."

"Good night Lorelai." He leaned over her and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. He then kicked off his shoes and got ready for bed himself.

Upstairs, Richard and Emily looked at each other, a sadness in their eyes. The vent in Rory's room had been open and they heard every word that Luke and Lorelai said to each other. For the first time they heard them both lay bare their souls and heard just how much they loved each other.

And they heard Luke plead their case for them. The one man she never thought would do that, was down their now, comforting her daughter and telling her that her parents do love her. This man that she had treated so shabbily, put that aside and focused on what was right.

She thought about what he had said and was glad that he was there for her. He seemed to know just how to make her feel better and to take care of her. Maybe she had misjudged him all this time. She shook her head. She just didn't know anymore.

She felt a hand on her shoulder as Richard pulled her closer to him and lay back in bed. She hugged him tightly. "Richard?"

"Yes Emily."

"We have to make sure she knows that we do love her." A tear made its way down her cheek. "And that we don't blame her." She was sad at hearing her daughter's words. "We have to make sure she knows this from us." She always knew that they had problems but never really realized that she thought that way. She knew she had to make sure she knew that she was wrong.

Richard held her tighter as the same thoughts ran through his own mind. "We will." He lay still feeling the weight of the situation rest heavily on his chest and could only imagine how Lorelai was feeling about it all. He pulled Emily even closer and kissed her temple. "We will, my dear."

Christopher had heard some of the conversation and angrily tried to think of what he could do to drive a wedge between them again so Lorelai would be his. He would make Luke look like the incompetent ass that he was. Show her once and for all that he wasn't good enough for her.

He lay back into the cushions and contemplated his next move.

TBC…

8


	11. Chapter 11

Leire

Thanks! I thought that it would be good to have them do that. And Richard and Emily hearing makes it much better too I think. Well, it should. We'll just have to read and see. ;)

justawritier

I so wish I could be a writer for that show. I would have SUCH a good time with it. Thanks so much! Enjoy the next one!

LorLukealways

I totally agree. Here's another chapter to get more of the tale! Thanks and enjoy!

Elliotlvu

Here you go! I hope you like this too! Thanks!

Aliolyoxenfree

LOL. I love it! Straight to the point! LOL I agree too! Enjoy this next one!

coffeeberry

LOL So glad. Here's another one! LOL Enjoy!

Curley-Q

I do not know. He is perfectly loveable to me ;) As for Emily and Richard. I wondered for a while if I should have kept it in but the more I thought about it I thought it just seemed to fit so I kept it. Thanks so much I am really glad you like the story. Enjoy!

kiss and tell xo

Me too. I think they are perfect for each other. This is the one time in television that I would not have a problem with them jumping a big chunk of time and have them get together asap.

LukePlusLorelaiEqualsL O V ...

Ah yes I know what you mean. This is the dream conversation I could see them having, but I hope the one that actually happens is good too. crosses fingers Thanks so much. I am really glad you like this story. And on a side note I really do LOVE Luke Danes! LOL Just had to get that in there. ;)

Avila Grace

Well, your request is granted. Here's another one to peruse. I hope you continue to like this story. Thanks so much!

hollowgirl22

I love the understanding readers. ;) So glad you like the story. And here's another chapter to tide you over!

ggpassion

Thanks so much! I really appreciate the review. I tell you I was worried about that conversation. I changed it half a dozen times but I am happy with how it turned out. LOL a semi huh? I'll see what I can do. LOL

coffeeejunkieee

LOL Glad you like it. I can neither confirm or deny ;) but I will post this chapter to give you more of the story! Enjoy!

GiLmOrEgIrL129

Well, I can't tell you what will happen but I can post a new chapter! And Thanks! Glad you like it!

_Hi all, I just wanted to thank you all again for the reviews. I am really happy with that last chapter. I sweated bullets when I posted it hoping you would like it and thankfully you did. Tanks so much and enjoy the next chapter!_

**Chapter 11**

Rory jerked awake at the smell of food. As she started to move a hand clamed painfully on her shoulder and a menacing whisper in her ear made her cringe. "Hey little girl. You hungry?" He chuckled into her ear and pulled away. The tape was pulled roughly off her mouth and her hands freed from above her head but still bound at the wrists and a hot sandwich put into her hands.

"What is it?" She asked and was answered with a sharp slap across her face.

"Shut up and eat it." The voice demanded. "Don't worry about what it is."

Rory was crying hard. She had never been hit in her life. Then the voice broke through her thoughts again. "You eat now or I'll take it and you won't get anything else."

She forced herself to take a bite of the sandwich; it tasted like roast beef. She knew she had to eat and keep up her strength so she continued to eat. She had to find a way out of here. When she was done a bottle of water was thrust into her hands and she chugged it down washing the dryness from her mouth.

Once she was finished the bottle was knocked from her hands and strong hands grabbed her arms and pulled her to her feet and pulled her across the room. She started to cry, terrified that this was when she would die and she had just had her last meal. She heard a door open and she was thrown to the floor. She could feel his hands on her wrists and a cold object against her as the rope around her wrists was cut and her hands were loose.

"Now when I close this door," he whispered close to her ear. "You can take off the blindfold and do what you gotta do." He ran a hand down her arm. "When I come back and knock on the door you put the blindfold back on." His hand wrapped around her arm and squeezed with bruising force. "If I open the door and you do not have the mask on and see me, I'll kill you." He squeezed her arm harder making her yelp. "Do you understand?"

She nodded quickly. "Y-y-yes."

"Good." He let go of her arm and she heard the door slam shut.

She clawed the blindfold off of her face and collapsed in tears on the floor. A few minutes later she pulled herself together. She thought about her mom and what she would do in this situation. Rubbing her arm she got up and looked in the mirror. She touched the hand print on her face gingerly, wincing in pain. She thought again about Logan. Where was he? Would he know about what is going on?

Sighing she began to clean herself up doing what she had to do; she didn't know how long she had until he came back to get her. Afterwards she looked around more closely at the room she was in. It was a decent sized bathroom with a shower, sink and toilet. A small window at the top of the wall. She could fit through it she could get up to it…

Her thoughts were interrupted by a sharp knock on the door. She grabbed the blindfold and put it back on. Just as she brought her hands back down the door opened and a rough hand grabbed her shoulder and dragged her out of the room and threw her back down onto the pillows and retied her hands back to the wall above her head and put tape back over her mouth. She lay there for a long while trying to listen to the sounds around her. She felt herself drifting off to sleep when she heard a voice. Her ears perked up slightly.

She heard the voice call out to someone. She could hear them talking and strained to try to decipher what was being said.

"He's gonna be here soon. He said he had something to take care of and has instructions for us." A gentler sounding voice whispered.

"What is he coming here for? He said he could only talk by phone." The other voice said.

"He said he wants to look at her and see that she is ok."

A light rapping was heard and foot-steps coming down what sounded like stairs and another voice was added to the mix. This one was somehow familiar. "How is she?" The voice whispered, just enough for her to hear.

She lay there straining to listen to what would happen to her next. She tried to hear the new voice and figure out why it was so familiar. She heard footsteps getting closer. "Is she asleep?"

"She may be, she's been still for a while." The voice of the mean man spoke.

"Ok." The new voice said. "I have something I need you to do for me." The voices receded and she shivered at the thought of someone new entering into this and knew she had to get out of there as soon as possible. She lay very still for a while trying to hear more of what was going on around her.

Richard woke early the next day after only getting scratch sleep the night before, his mind occupied with the conversation he had heard that night.

He was always an early riser anyway so he got up and went down to the kitchen to get something to drink. He was surprised to find Luke already awake and making breakfast, coffee brewing in the coffee maker.

"Oh, good morning. Are you an early riser too?" He asked as he poured himself coffee.

"Yeah. Quarter to five every day." He transferred pancakes to a plate and poured more batter on the griddle. Help yourself to some breakfast."

"Oh, no thank you, I'm not…" he began but Luke stopped him.

Turning around he said. "No. You have to eat something. No one ate much of anything yesterday and sleep is tough. We need to keep up our strength and have a strategy session on what we can do to find Rory." He crossed his arms over his chest his spatula hanging out one side and looked at Richard pointedly. Even with the spatula sticking out the way it did, it didn't lessen the impact of his scowl.

Richard admired his strength and had to admit he was right. "Yes, I suppose you are right. It wouldn't do to have Rory come home to find us wasting away."

Luke smirked and turned back to the stove.

"I absolutely agree dad." Lorelai stood leaning in the door way with her arms crossed over her chest, a small smile on her lips. These two men were so much more a like then either would ever admit. They were both strong and determined to do what they could to protect and help the ones they loved.

"Hey, you could have slept longer." Luke said as he added more pancakes to a plate, setting it on the table.

"With this wonderful smell coming from my kitchen? Not a chance." She walked over and wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him. "Besides, I got as much sleep as I am gonna. It's time to get Rory back." Luke moved one arm around her and squeezed, kissing her forehead, while putting bacon to drain on paper towels.

Richard smiled and was about to go wake Emily when she walked into the kitchen. "Good morning; my goodness does it smell good in here." She mumbled looking like she hadn't gotten much sleep herself.

Luke and Lorelai turned to her. "Morning." "Good Morning, mom." She turned and grabbed a plate and began helping herself to pancakes.

"Everyone sit and eat. I'll go wake Chris." He walked out of the kitchen towards the sleeping form on the couch. He seemed to be the only one who could sleep well around here. He brushed that thought aside and focused on the fact that he had every right to be there. Rory was his daughter after all.

He reached down and shook him awake. "Chris… wake up." When he didn't stir very much he shook him again. "Chris."

He looked up at Luke sleepily. "What?"

"Come have some breakfast. We are gonna talk and see what it is we can do to find Rory." He turned and walked back into the kitchen.

Chris groaned but got up. He needed to know what was going on with them. He had to make sure he would come out on top and get Lorelai with him. He got up and trudged into the kitchen and sat at the table.

Luke set an empty plate in front of him. "Help yourself."

"Thanks," he grumbled and began to fill his plate.

They were interrupted by a knock at the front door. Lorelai looked at Luke and got up, running to the door Luke hot on her heels. She threw the door open to see Logan standing on her porch. "Hey, sorry I know it's early but…" He got no further as Lorelai pulled him inside and quickly hugged him, tears threatening to fall because it wasn't news about Rory.

"It's ok. We're all up anyway." She wiped her eyes and pulled Logan into the kitchen. "Have you eaten? Luke made pancakes and we were going to try to come up with some things we can do to find Rory." She walked into the kitchen and everyone looked up.

"Logan!" Emily looked up at him and smiled. "It's good you could be here."

"Yes, absolutely my boy." Richard started to get up. "Here sit down and have breakfast with us."

Logan put his hand up. "No thanks I don't need to sit. But I do want to help find Rory. What's been done so far?"

Luke leaned against the counter and ate as they filled Logan in on what has been going on and discussed their options. None of them wanted to sit around and wait to see if anything happened. Chris listened as they outlined what needed to be done and wanted to make sure he was at an advantage somehow.

Decisions were made as to what everyone was gonna do. Luke was going to look around Stars Hollow, Richard and Emily were going to the club and the DAR to see what help they could get and Christopher was going to look around New Haven and Logan would take Yale and the surrounding area to look for anything that may lead him to Rory's where abouts. Lorelai would stay at the house with Babette and wait to hear some news. She had not been happy about this turn of events but she stopped arguing after a while.

Luke ran over to Babette's house and asked her to come stay with Lorelai so she wouldn't be alone and she could help field phone calls and such. She had immediately agreed and would be over within the hour.

Luke sent everyone on their way to their assignments and waited until Babette came by before he would head out himself.

Chris watched him go and was glad she wouldn't be with Luke. She wouldn't be alone but he could maybe come back early and get Babette to leave so he could be alone with her.

TBC…

6


	12. Chapter 12

Elliotlvu

Yes indeed! There are quite a few more chapters to come. I am fine tuning them as I go. I hope you enjoy this one too!

elliv16

Thanks! I appreciate that. Rory is in here quite a bit as we go. I hope you like the rest of it too! Enjoy!

Brookleighgilmore

Thanks… All these questions and more will be answered at some point. Sorry can't tell you more then that! But please keep enjoying this! Here's another chapter for ya!

Shawn-n-Bell

Are you correct??? Not sure. Let's read on to see ;) Here's another chapter to enjoy. Thanks so much for the review. I appreciate it more than you know. Hope you continue to like it!

Aleta 

Aw thanks! I love hearing that. Makes me feel like I'm doing something right. I hope I can keep you hooked! Here's another addition! Enjoy!

CharmedGurlie

LOL Glad you like the story! It will all come together soon though I promise. Here's another chapter to dig into. Hope you like it!

gilmorefreak92

All will soon be revealed! LOL I love that line. In case you haven't noticed. Enjoy!

Curley-Q

Me too. I love action! Thanks and enjoy!

Sam 

I just wish I was ready to post this when I received the chant. LOL But it's ready now. Enjoy!

LorLukealways

Well, I am not going to give anything away but all will soon be revealed. The conversation though will be coming up very soon. Enjoy!

hollowgirl22

You will just have to keep reading to find out ;) Thanks and enjoy!

LukePlusLorelaiEqualsL O V ...

Ah yes. I know what you mean. I even have the man's face on the screen of my cell phone. Very very easy on the eyes. sigh Sorry got off topic LOL Usually I hate cliffhangers but as the writer I have learned to appreciate them. They do come in handy. LOL I am glad you like it. Here's another chapter for you. Enjoy!

ggpassion

Yeah I know what you mean. I am not a fan of Logan but I can see him jumping into the fray (In omia paratus) not sure if I spelled that right but you get my meaning. Thanks and enjoy!

Reese.   
.

WOW! Thanks! I am really glad that you like this so far. I hope that continues. I also like the Emily/Richard part. I can see them being judgmental and all but this is an extreme situation which IMHO tends to bring out the best in people in terms of strength etc. As for how the story is gong I am afraid you will have to continue reading ;) Thanks so much for reading and enjoying this fic. It means a lot to me that you and other like it as much as I do. Here's another chapter for you!

lnl4ever

Well, yeah. I can see them being totally in love with each other but I also see that they both love Rory and that as long as they were on he right track they could wait til later for them. You know? Glad you like it!

Avila Grace

Nice hints LOL If only it were ready to post 10 minutes later. But it is now. So here is another piece of the action so to speak. I am just glad that Christopher is outta there!!!! LOL

7thgirlgal

Hehe I love speculation! Glad you like the fic. Read more to see what happens. ;)

kiss and tell xo

Yeah my wishful thinking can get me in trouble but not this time. I know I am not the only one who wants them together. I just hope they don't drag it out. Ugh. Anyway thanks so much. I love this fic too. I don't think my writing has been this focused before. So glad that you like it!

justawritier

Yeah Logan there makes a difference I am glad I put him in. I didn't originally but after a few reviews I realized that if I didn't put him in I was somehow cheating so in he went and I am glad I listened to the reviewers. I am glad you like this fic so far. There is MUCH more to come I promise (At least 6 more chapters)

coffeeberry

It definitely turned out creepy. I was very happy about that. I guess it helped that I watched a few horror movies the night before I wrote this out LOL Glad you like it!

_Thanks so much for al of the reviews. I am so pleased that you all like the story so far. Sorry it took me longer then I thought to get this chapter ready but ready it is! I really hope you enjoy it! And as always Enjoy!_

_Sorry, I feel I should reiterate the disclaimer here. I do not own any of this. I am just having fun with rampant plot bunnies taking over my consciousness. GG belongs to its respective creators and networks and I am making no money from this._

**Chapter 12**

Logan headed to Yale, a mental list of places to look for information running through his head. He couldn't really understand what was going on. There had been no ransom call, no clue left at all as to where she was taken. There was not much of a struggle in her room or through the house according to Lorelai so maybe they… incapacitated her somehow and carried her out.

He decided to head to the library and look up what he could find on kidnappings that have the same or similar aspects to this one. See what some possible motives could be. He pulled into Yale parking loit and headed to the library.

Chris pulled into the Yale parking lot 30 minutes later. He knew Logan would be here but it was close enough to New Haven that he wanted to check it out. He got out of his car, figuring he wouldn't run into Logan; looking at the buildings on campus he was reminded how big Yale was. He wasn't sure just where to start so he decided to just walk around and see what he could find.

A while later he arrived at the Yale library and began to look around. As he walked he bumped into someone. "Sorry", he mumbled as he moved aside, not really paying too much attention to who he had bumped into.

"Are you looking for something?" A strong female voice chimed in.

Chris looked to see a familiar face. He pointed at her, "Paris right?"

She narrowed her eyes and looked at him closely. "Oh right, you're Rory's absentee father." She relaxed her stance and looked at him. "You looking for Rory?"

He glared at her "Yeah, I am actually looking for her." He decided to let her comment go for now. "Have you seen her?"

"No. She was going to spend the weekend with her mom but hasn't come back yet." She shifted her books to her other hip. "Lorelai called the other day from her cell phone looking for her. Did she go off to be with that Clark Kent wanna-be? This is just typical. He always…"

Chris cut her off. "Whoa, I don't know where she went, I just wondered if you saw her." He was a bit taken aback by her attitude. He should have remembered just how abrasive she was. "Just, if you see her, tell her I'm looking for her." He turned and started walking away, not wanting to get into a huge discussion with her.

Paris just stood there and watched him walk away. Her suspicious mind took over and she wasn't sure why but something felt off. She pulled out her cell phone and hit the speed dial.

Richard was back in his office at home, sitting back in his chair, his fingers steepled, deep in thought. He had just gotten off the phone with Mike and didn't know quite what to think. He had been out of town looking into the background of Chris in Boston and Dan was looking into Luke. He told him he needed to see him right away but wouldn't be to his house until about 4pm. He had already contacted Dan and would be meeting up with him and then head over to the Gilmore mansion. He had been cryptic on the phone but clearly something was going on. He wanted to give them a preliminary report but hadn't found Rory yet. He made it clear that they were not finished by a long shot but the information was important enough to give them what they found so far.

He had told him to make sure they watch over Lorelai and never to leave her alone with just one person. This worried Richard more then anything else. What is it they found that would make him say that? Clearly she was in some kind of danger but what he did not know. It made him wonder if the kidnappers took the wrong one and would be back for her. He shook those thoughts from his head and rubbed a hand over his face.

They were on their way in from Boston and would be able to tell him what was going on. Until then he would have to keep himself busy so as to not let any rambling thoughts course through his mind.

Mike had told him it would be better if Lorelai heard what he had to say as well and suggested he have her there as well. Luke apparently had checked out clean. This did not come as a complete surprise to Richard. He grudgingly admitted to himself only that Luke was not such a bad man after all. He clearly loved his daughter and would do what he had to to keep her safe. He felt he could trust him. Now he had to decide just how to tell him about the background check. He had a feeling it would not go over well, but he wanted to make a fresh start with him and the only way to do that was to be honest with him.

He sat at the desk his hand in his chin, contemplating how to do this when Emily poked her head in his office. She saw the look on his face and was immediately worried. "What's the matter Richard?" She opened the door wider and stepped inside.

"Nothing that I can put my finger on." He rose from his chair and walked over to Emily and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Mike called and said he was on his way here with Dan."

"Have they found something?" She grabbed a hold of his arms.

"They have some information to give us yes. They have finished the back ground check on Luke and are still working on Christopher. Apparently Luke checks out just fine..." He trailed off.

"But…" She prompted him.

"Well, Mike's on his way here from Boston. He's coming directly here from there. That must mean they found something important; why else would he jump in his car and head here would he?" He was getting worked up a little. He started pacing a bit. "But then again if it were really bad then they would tell us over the phone right?"

"I would hope so." Emily took hold of his elbow and gently guided him to a chair. "What else did they say?" She poured him a drink and handed it to him.

"Well, he said to have Lorelai here and to keep an eye on her. Make sure she isn't left alone." He threw back his drink and put the glass down. "Ok." He got up from his chair again. "I am going to go to the club to see what I can get accomplished there."

"Richard! How can you do that? We have to be here for Mike and Dan."

"We will, Emily. They won't be here for a few hours and if I just sit here mulling over what they said to me over the phone then I think it will drive me crazy."

He walked over and put his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face him. "You go to the DAR and see what your friends can dig up. They are very good about such things. Just be sure to be back here by 3:30."

He pulled out his cell phone. "I'm going to have Lorelai meet us here at 3:30 so she can hear this too."

"What about Luke?" Emily asked. "He isn't going to want to be left out."

"I'm not sure." He put his hone down again, considering what to do. "I know he checks out but should we tell him? Wouldn't he get upset about this?" He turned to Emily. "On the other hand, I think he deserves a chance. He loves Lorelai and Rory and I think it good to have a fresh start…

"I think we should tell him." Emily interrupted looking thoughtfully at her husband. "I get the feeling that he will understand." She thought back to the conversation they had over heard the previous night. He had defended them and had no real reason to do that. Maybe Richard was right and they should start off on a new foot with him and trust him.

"Yes, I think you're right. I'll have them both come." He kissed her on the cheek and dialed the phone.

Chris and her parents had left and Babette and Luke were in the kitchen. He was giving her instructions on how to use the recorder if anyone calls.

Lorelai didn't like the idea of waiting for news. She wanted to go with Luke and look around Stars Hollow. She would go crazy if she stayed here.

With a determined look on her face she turned towards the kitchen. "Hey," Luke and Babette turned to look at her standing in the door way.

"No." Luke said and turned back to Babette.

"Excuse me?" She looked at him folding her arms over her chest. Babette just looked from one to the other. "I am going with you."

"No, Lorelai, you're not." He turned and stared her down, knowing he was gonna lose this one.

"Yes, Luke, I am." She walked over to him and laid a hand on his arm. "Babette can stay here and listen for the phone." Luke opened his mouth to protest but she put her fingertips to his lips. "I either go with you or I go by myself, Luke." She pulled her hand away and looked pointedly at him. "You decide."

He knew she would do exactly that too. He sighed, giving in like he knew he would. At least she wouldn't be alone. "Fine, but you are going with me. I don't want you out there alone."

"Yeah you two go. I'll stay here and keep you posted if anything happens. Don't you worry sugar, she's gonna be fine and home before ya know it." Babette chirped.

"Thanks Babette." She turned to face Luke. "Let me just get my shoes on." Then ran out of the kitchen.

"Luke, honey. Can I ask you a question?" Babette looked at him.

"Sure Babette, what is it?"

"Are you and Lorelai back together?"

Luke looked at her a moment before he looked down. "Yes, we are Babette." But he quickly held up his hand to stop her from speaking just yet. "But keep it to yourself for now, will ya? This is not the time for that to be making the rounds of the Stars Hollow gossip circle, ok? Be sides we still have a lot to work out so…"

"You don't want all that attention while you two are working through your issues. I got it doll." She turned to the table. "Besides it's probably a good idea to keep it quiet especially with Rory's dad being around." She turned and started putting away some things that had been left out earlier. "I mean, he is always chasing after Lorelai so best to not let him know what's up right now huh."

Luke looked at Babette and he once again wondered what was up with him. Babette was right. With the way he was acting if Chris knew they were back together he would react badly. And they had to focus on Rory 100 percent.

Lorelai came back into the kitchen. "Ok, I'm ready." She turned to Babette. "Thanks again Babette. I really appreciate it. All of our numbers are listed on the fridge."

She waved her hand. "I got it sugar; you just go get our girl back."

Lorelai smiled. "You got it Babette."

She turned to Luke and grabbed his hand. "You heard the woman let's go get our girl back." She pulled him out of the kitchen and the house. Jumping in his truck they took off in search of Rory.

Logan was walking around the quad, headed to see if he could find anything around campus that could help. He walked toward the library and veered off to a big tree she like to study under. She had said it made her relax and made it easier to concentrate on what she was doing.

As he walked around the side of the library he spotted Christopher walking into the building. He wondered what he was doing there. Wasn't he supposed to look around New Haven? Why was he not doing that? He decided to wait and see and walked over to a bench off to the side of the building and sat down to wait.

About 20 minutes later Paris walked out of the library and turned towards where Logan was. She was on her phone chatting away and not paying attention. He got up and ran to catch up with her.

Paris closed her cell phone. That lady Babette had answered Rory's phone and had told her that she was missing. She hadn't thought much of it when Lorelai called her from Rory's cell phone looking for her. She figured she went for coffee or something. When she didn't hear back she figured she had gotten home fine and Lorelai had just over reacted.

Then she thought about Rory's dad. Had she not heard from Babette that he knew Rory was missing, she wouldn't have known. He had acted all cool about it. Like he hadn't seen her in a while and wanted to catch up. Something about him made her wonder.

She turned on her heel and headed out of the library. As she left the library she felt someone run up behind her and turned to see Logan.

"Logan? What are you doing here? I thought you were in London?"

"Yeah I was but... don't you know about Rory?

"Yeah, I just got off the phone with some lady named Babette and she told me what was going on." She stood there looking at him a moment. "How can I help?"

Logan smiled. "I was thinking that maybe we could use the Yale Daily News room to look up a few things. I have an idea about something that won't let go. I want to see what we can find. Maybe some clue to help us find Rory."

"Good idea." She turned and headed for the YDN office. Logan smiled and caught up with her.

"So you came back for her?" Paris asked as they walked along campus.

"Yeah. Ever since I got the call I couldn't concentrate on what I was doing." He kicked a stone as they walked. "I just want to find her and make sure she's ok."

"I think I was wrong about you Huntzberger." She looked at him warily. "I always thought you were an extremely self-centered, rich boy who only cared about yourself and what could get you what you want. Now I think I may have misjudged you."

Logan just shook his head. He should be used to her brutal honesty by now but sometimes she just let you have it no matter what. "Thanks, I think."

"So what is it you want to check out? She asked.

Logan told her and she nodded her head thoughtfully. "I think we can manage that. I was thinking along the same lines myself." She looked over at him. "Come on. Let's see what we can dig up." She pulled him along.

TBC…

8


	13. Chapter 13

CharmedGurlie

Oh yes I agree. He is evil. I really hate that character (sorry any stray Chris fans) but yeah he should suffer! LOL Enjoy! And thanks for reading!

gilmorefreak92

Me too! Let's read this and find out LOL Thanks for reading and enjoy!!

Tears4Chris

Here you go! Enjoy!

Aleta   


LOL Thanks! I tell you that is a gift I never thought I would possess but hey I guess I improve with age LOL Enjoy!

elliv16

Thanks! Well, I can't tell you or I'd have to kill you. j/k LOL But I won't make you wait too long to find out! Enjoy!

kiss and tell xo

LOL I know you didn't and this chapter answers that question for you. Thanks and enjoy!

LorLukealways

Yeah that's what I seem to be good at with this fic. ;) Yeah I wanted to leave it hang for a bit but I won't make you wait too long to find out though. Hehe I love Paris and her barbs. She is about as honest and forthright as they come as far as telling you what's on her mind. I was glad to fit her into this fic. I love that girl. The rest will be revealed soon.

Wow thanks so much! I really appreciate that. I have been working on this fic for a long time before I even started posting and am having a great time revising and editing it. It makes me feel really good that so may people are enjoying it so thank you so much for that. Chris is a loser. I can't see him being anything else so… and LL I wish that GG would hurry up and get them together soon. I hate that they are apart. crosses fingers I have always thought that if Richard and Emily really saw Luke that they would change their opinion about him and seeing this side in particular side to him could do nothing else but have them see the best of him. Thanks again and enjoy this chapter. I think you will like it.

hollowgirl22

Hehehe… well I suppose I could update! ;) Here you go! Enjoy!

7thgirlgal

LOL I will let you know if I find a way to do that. LOL I am glad you like this fic. Thanks so much!

Curley-Q

Ah that will be very soon, I promise, but first take a look at this chapter. It has something that a lot of reviewers have been asking for! Hope you like it!

ggpassion

Thanks! Yeah I couldn't have Babette there and not have her be a little nosy lol I hope you enjoy this new one!

justawritier

Thanks! LOL I love Paris too. She can hit 'em right where it hurts LOL I think that is one of my favorite lines in this fic. LOL Here is another chapter for you. Enjoy!

coffeeberry

ROFLOL You crack me up!!! And just for that I have _the conversation_ in this chapter for ya!

Lorelai Danes  


Ooh, Crapstopher, ROFLOL I LOVE that name oh man wipes eyes that was so great!

Thanks so much! That really makes me feel good. I am glad you like the story all the way to the finish. Here is anew one to peruse. Enjoy!

Brookleighgilmore

All will be revealed. The first thing (not one of your questions) will be revealed in this chapter. I hope you like it!

LukePlusLorelaiEqualsL O V ...

Luke… pant, pant pant. Ah yes I am all too familiar with the drool bucket. It is full every time I read or watch GG. Just caint hep it! LOL Thanks! I think you will like this chapter.

_Hi all! Well, I have to say once again thank you for all the wonderful reviews. Really, I appreciate it more then you know. And I have very good news. Luke and Lorelai have 'the conversation'! So hold onto your hats. Please do let me know what you think. I am not sure I captured what I wanted to but after looking at it and re-reading it so many times I think my mind is a blank as to any other way to put it. Thanks again for reading and reviewing. I look forward to your next reviews! Now enjoy!_

**Chapter 13**

Luke and Lorelai drove around Stars Hollow stopping at the places they knew Rory had been to at any point in time. They stopped and spoke to Lane who hadn't seen Rory but was really worried. She was mad she could do nothing to help look for her but her doctor wants her to be careful with her pregnancy. She decided to make calls around again and see if she could find anything and promised to let them know if anything came up.

As they drove around the lake Lorelai looked out at the shoreline trying to see if anyone or anything was there. Luke remembered a spot he used to go to when he was a kid and saw the old path peeking out from the brush. Slowing down he looked at it closer and decided to check it out. They had looked everywhere else so one more place couldn't hurt. He quickly turned off and parked off to the side.

"Luke what are we doing here?" Lorelai asked as he jumped out of the truck. "Luke?"

She jumped out of the truck and ran to catch up to him. "Luke?" She tried again.

Luke's mind was going through his memories of walking along the path so he didn't hear Lorelai as she called after him at first. He came up to the pathway and took a good look at it. It was overgrown with bushes but his memory could still pick out the trail with ease.

He turned to Lorelai when he felt her hand on his arm. "I remember this place when I was a kid." He pulled aside some branches and gestured for her to go through. "My dad used to bring me here for over-night camp outs." He studied the path in front of him. "I used to come here a lot when I wanted to think too." He looked her in the eye and took her hand leading her through the trees along the old trail.

They came out into a small clearing near the edge of the lake. It was clear for the most part but looked as if no one had been there in a long time. The area used to be bigger but had overgrown with brush.

He pointed around the area. "There's a rock underneath all that brush that I used to sit on and fish or just throw rocks into the water and think." He looked lost in thought as if remembering a time he had come down here, a sad look on his face. "I sat there for 2 days after my mother died."

Lorelai gave his hand a squeeze. "No one really knows about this place anymore." He said. "I thought it may be a good place to look and see if she may have been here. You can see a lot of the lake area from here too." He turned and looked around. "But it doesn't look like anyone has been here in a very long time."

"Yeah, I guess if someone had been here we would have seen… what would we have seen?" Lorelai asked. She knew nothing about this kind of thing.

Luke smiled. "We would have seen some sign that someone had been here like foot prints or broken branches. Maybe they would have cleared some of the brush away…" He trailed off as he looked to an overgrown pathway.

"What?" Lorelai was curious what he was looking at.

"Nothing." He glanced at her briefly. "Just remembered about an old path. Can't remember where it leads to but it is really overgrown so I guess it's not so important anymore. At least no one has been down it."

Lorelai walked over to the water's edge and picked up a stone. She could picture Luke here as a kid sitting on a rock, pitching stones into the lake. Sad because his mother was gone. She threw the stone she was holding into the water and watched the ripples cascade out from where it hit. Her mind drifted to Rory as the ripples moved gently through the water. She didn't know what else to do. Her mind was completely blank on where to look for Rory next. They had been out for hours and still had found nothing.

And Luke was here. She was still in awe about that. How he put his feelings on hold to help and how they were on the path to working things out. She loved him so much. How could things get so screwed up? Her whole life was a mess.

Luke turned from the path he was looking at and watched her. She was lost in thought; he knew this whole situation was playing out in her head. She needed to find Rory. And he needed to find her for her. He walked over to her and put his hands on her shoulders.

"What are you thinking about?"

She turned and looked at him. "Everything. Rory, my parents, Chris… you."

He squeezed her shoulders. "The whole ball of wax, huh?"

"How did it all come to this?" She turned around, "Why did this have to happen to Rory? What did she do to deserve this? What did I do to have this happen to her? Why did this happen to us and why did Chris…" She turned back around to face the water a heavy sigh on her lips and closed her eyes. She didn't want to think about what happened with Chris. Now wasn't the time. But she felt herself tearing up anyway, the memories coming back into her mind unbidden.

Luke rubbed a hand up and down her back. "Lorelai?"

"Yeah." She hoped he wasn't going to ask what she knew he was going to ask.

"What happened with Christopher?"

She knew he was going to ask that. If she hadn't gone off on a mini rant she never would have slipped and he would not have asked her that. She didn't know how long she stayed quiet, thinking, but his voice jarred her out of her thoughts.

"Lorelai?"

She jumped slightly at his voice. "Tell me." He continued to rub her back offering his support. Letting her know he was there.

"Are you sure you want to hear this?" She asked her voice shook slightly, trying one more time to get out of this conversation.

He stepped forward and put his arm around her from behind placing his hand on her other shoulder pulling her against his chest. "Tell me." He whispered again.

She reached her hands up and put them on his arm as if she wanted to hold him there and not let him pull away from her.

"That night…" Her voice broke as she struggled to tell him what really happened. "The night that I went to see Chris," She squeezed his arm. "I was devastated." She was fighting the inevitable tears, trying to hold them off as long as she could, her voice raw with emotion. "Rory was spending the evening with Logan before he flew to London, Sookie and Jackson had something going on… I didn't know where else to go."

She sniffled, "There aren't very many people that I can go to. So I went to see Chris… I didn't want to be alone. I needed a friend and I thought…. I thought that he would be my friend like I was for him when his dad died you know?" The tears were now freely flowing down her face and Luke put his head down on her shoulder and held her tight.

"He pulled out the Tequila and we drank and talked and I cried on his shoulder." She stopped to wipe away her tears. "I got so drunk. I don't even remember him drinking that much but I just kept tossing them back."

"The next thing I know he is kissing me." She shuddered at the memory. "I tried to push him away but I was too out of it; he was too strong." She wiped her eyes again. "I don't remember all of it, just bits and pieces. I just wanted him to leave me alone; then nothing. The next morning I woke up with a massive hangover… and I was… naked… in his bed." At this she tightened her grip on him.

"I freaked out. I couldn't remember how I got there or him… but I knew what had happened. I got out of bed and grabbed my things and ran out as fast as I could." Her breath hitched. "All I could think about was you and how much you would hate me."

She stood there clutching his arm, waiting for him to say something. She was too afraid to let him go, thinking that he would turn and leave her there. But he just tightened his grip on her. "Why didn't you tell me about this Lorelai? Why did you just tell me you slept with him?"

"You wouldn't have believed me." She loosened her grip on him and turned to look him in the eye; the site of her face so hurt, broke his heart. "You would have thought I was making it up to get out of this. You already didn't trust me."

Luke grabbed a hold of her and pulled her to him, holding her tight, tears stinging his own eyes. He knew she was right. He wouldn't have believed her. It hurt so much to come face to face with your mistakes. Especially the ones that hurt the people you love the most in the world. "I am so sorry Lorelai."

"I'm sorry too." She hugged him for all she was worth. They pulled back and looked at each other; both with tears in their eyes.

They were interrupted by her cell phone ringing. Her eyes grew wide and she let go of Luke and whipped it out of her pocket answering it immediately. "Rory... hello." Her face fell a bit. "Oh hi dad."

"No sorry, I was just hoping…" She smiled. "Thanks dad." She listened for a minute then grabbed Luke's wrist to check his watch. "Yeah Luke is with me… No, I couldn't stay at the house; I left Babette there to answer the phone if a call comes in… Yeah if we leave now we can be there by 3:30."

Luke looked at her questioningly and she shrugged in response. "Ok dad. We'll see you then." She flipped her cell phone closed and turned to Luke.

"We have to go to my parent's house."

"What for?" Luke asked.

"I'm not sure my dad just said to come straight there and to hurry."

Luke's hands were on her shoulders. "You ok?"

"Yeah, I am. Or at least I will be." She rubbed her hands along his arms. "I just can't focus on all that right now. I have to focus on Rory first." She blew out a breath and rested her head on his shoulder a moment, "I know that we still have a lot more to…"

"Lorelai, don't worry. I'm not going anywhere. This will keep." He put his hands up into her hair and turned her head up to look at him. "Rory comes first. Then we can go from there, ok?"

"I love you." She said as a tear trickled down her cheek.

"I love you, too." He leaned in and kissed her cheek.

"Let's go see what my dad wants."

"Ok, let's go." He took her hand firmly in his and walked her out of the clearing and to the truck.

A car came down the back country style road; it was unpaved so it was rarely used making it the perfect route for him to take. He pulled under a canopy of trees and shut the car off. Before he began the trek to the cabin he made sure his car was covered. He was pretty far out from the cabin tucked deep into the woods. But it was time to check up on his _guest_. The two men guarding her were not to be trusted for too long.

He picked his way through the woods and the trail he had found; it took him nearly an hour to reach his destination. As he got closer he could see dim lights from the cabin.

He got to the door and gave it a sharp knock three times and waited. The door opened and a tall muscle bound man stood in the door way looking at him. Silently he stepped aside to let him in. Once the door was closed they headed down the stairs and he turned to the tall man. "How is she?"

The man just pointed to her lying on a pile of pillows, hands bound to a pipe running along the wall, a gag over her mouth and a blindfold on. She lay very still. "She's asleep."

"Did she eat anything?"

"Yeah I made sure she ate." A short round man answered walking into the room.

"She give you any trouble?" He asked the two men.

"No, she's scared so she is doing what she is told so far." He smiled a creepy smile at the visitor.

He looked at the two men a moment. "I am paying you to take care of her. Nothing else." He leaned his hands on the table in front of him. "If either of you do something to her, I'll make sure you get _no_ money. Got it?"

"Don't worry. You're getting' your money's worth." He sat at the table. "So what's so special about this girl?"

"I am also paying you enough money to not ask questions. Let's just say I have my reasons and she needs to be unhurt and leave it at that."

"Fine, whatever." He sat back in his chair and put his feet up. "Ok, then. When do we get our money?"

"Your money is waiting for you to pick it up as soon as the job is done." He pulled a wad of cash out of his pocket and threw it on the table along with a sheet of paper. "One of you go out and get these things. You'll need them before you're done."

"Ok, fine, I'll go." Said the shorter man and he scooped up the money. It would be good to get out of the cabin for a bit.

"Make sure you get them in a different town. If you go to Stars Hollow, you will be spotted immediately."

"Yeah, I got it."

He turned and headed to the door. "Just keep your phones handy. I'll call soon with the rest of the instructions." He left closing the door firmly behind him.

"You keep an eye on her. I'll be back in a while." He turned and walked out as well.

The tall man turned and looked at the girl then walked over to his chair and grabbed a magazine and began to read.

Rory lay there as still as she could possibly get. She had heard them talking and wanted to see what she could figure out from what they were saying. Then she heard a sharp knock on the door and the new voice she heard was all too familiar. She was glad she had a blindfold on. She couldn't have hidden her shock if she tried. She now knew who had taken her. But why?

She had to get out of there. But how could she do it. She was bound, gagged and blind folded. For all she knew one of them watched her all the time. Her mind raced as she thought about all of the possibilities. She didn't know how long she had but it seemed to her that her time was running out. She had to be ready for any opportunity she could find to get out of there. She lay back against the pillows and let her mind wander.

TBC…


	14. Chapter 14

Elliotlvu

Sorry it took me longer then expected to get this one ready. Had a few crisis at work and am now job hunting (still have a job just want a new one because mine is well… but you don't wat to hear that ! You want to read more so here you go! ;) Enjoy!

googleaddict   


LOL Thanks! I hope the bot doesn't disappoint! Enjoy this next one!

Shawn-n-Bell

LOL Seems like we have a lot of anti-Chris radars in working order. Glad you like the story!

kiss and tell xo

Well, wait no more. Here's another one for you! Thanks and enjoy!

SephoraGal

LOL I am glad you like the story so far. Here's more for you!

froggy moe

I am so glad you like it! It will be one of my longest stories that's for sure. So far I have 18 chapters written (still have a LOT of editing to do to what is written so far) but I am not done so who knows how long it will be. It's all in the details. Glad you like it and I hope you will continue to R&R

elliv16

Can't tell you that! You'll have to read! LOL Hope you enjoy this one! ;)

CharmedGurlie

Wow that's some list. pulls out her own list I think I may have missed a few LOL Hope you like this chapter too! Thanks so much for reading!

7thgirlgal

Thanks! And here is another one for you!

LukePlusLorelaiEqualsL O V ...

Ah yes I loved that too. I figured since he went away to think when things were bad as he has done in the past then he would have to have a safe place he felt he could go to to do just that. He strikes me as a very introspective man. I hope you like this next chapter too. Enjoy!

Lorelai Danes  


LOL and I think no one deserves it more then Christopher. I will get any shots you miss or just add to 'em. ;)

hehehe doesn't it just make you wanna jump up and down. LOL I hope they get it together on the show soon man. This waiting is killing me! 

Can't say too much about this right now. Sorry! ;)

Well, here is a good long one for you that has more details in it. Hope you like it!

reader   


Thanks!

GiLmOrEgIrL129

Thanks so much! This is my first really big foray into suspense like this and I am very glad that it is turning out to be as good as I think it is. Thanks for reading and reviewing. Please continue to do so. I love hearing them good or bad. I learn from them either way. I hope you enjoy this chapter too. It is very long in comparison to the others and a fw things are revealed. Enjoy!

LorLukealways

Yup. I feel like for that to happen between them immediately after a break up with Luke, she would have to be blotto! LOL No other way to explain it for me. As for lovin' Luke ROFL I am right there with you. That man is HOT!!! As for clues, there are a few more below. I hope you like this chapter!

ggpassion

Yeah that was another conversation UI was worried about. I wanted to convey the message of what Chris did without getting too graphic about it. And I can totally picture Luke comforting her this way too. He is a nurturing soul I think and he loves her so he would be there. But never fear more to come about how he feels about it all. But gasp Scroll down, I think I see it now! LOL More is revealed with this next one. I hope you like it!

lizzie   


Yeah I was hoping that it would flow well. So far I think it does but I am constantly worried it won't flow simply because of the jumping around. But so many people are involved in Rory's life that I had to doit. I am glad you like it and hope you like this next one as much. Enjoy!

hollowgirl22

Hmmm. Interesting question… I am so glad you like this story. Keep reading for more tidbits! Enjoy!

Curley-Q

Thanks! That is very gratifying to hear. Hope you like this one. It gives may more details, but of course not all. They will trickle out as I go. So enjoy tis and I look forward to your feedback on it! ;)

coffeeberry

Thanks! ;) I am so glad you like it. Sorry about the cliff hangers but, man they just worked so well, I couldn't resist. ;) BTW I have here for you the longest chapter so far. Hope this makes up for the hangers. (Sorry but this does not mean I promise no more cliff hangers – if they work they work! LOL) I promise to make 'em as good as I can though! Enjoy!

justawritier

Thanks so much! I am glad the conversation turned out as well as it did. I felt like they had to talk about things at some level so they could focus more on Rory. It would have to be hard IRL if this situation played out and not be reminded of the things that had happened to cause so much pain. I mean can block out feelings for a period of time but under those conditions I would think it impossible. Glad you like it!

Aleta 

Thanks! Well, I don't ee Francine Hayden giving a damn about Rory but it is an interesting thought. Can't say more for now but I hope this long chapter makes up for that. I am happy with how Richard and Emily have turned out. I hope that I am staying as close to the characters as I can but letting them change in a way that could happen (I hope on the show)

Elliotlvu

Hehe. I love the insight of readers ;) Well, here is a nice long one for you. Hope you like this one!

TrueLovex3LL

Well, here it is for you. And I think tell you a lot in this one. It is also the longest chapter so far. Can't promise no cliffhangers but… I think in spite of that you will be happy with more details. ;)

**Chapter 14**

Luke drove towards Hartford, his mind trying to wrap itself around what he had learned today. He wished he had known sooner. He wished Lorelai would have told him the truth then. Even if he would have reacted badly things may not have ended up like they had. He shook his head mentally kicking himself. He couldn't blame her. None of this was her fault.

Christopher had raped Lorelai that night. That's the only thing he could call it. He had done things to her she had not wanted. Hell had not been conscious for. He wanted to break the bastard in half. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the steering wheel. He knew it would have to wait until Rory was home safe. She had to be his top priority right now. But the very minute she was safe, Christopher was fair game.

His mind then turned to Richard and his phone call a little while ago. He tried to think of why he wanted to see them. The only thing he could think of was that it had something to do with Rory. He looked over at Lorelai and saw her staring at him.

He glanced back to the road then back again to her. "You ok?"

"Yeah, I was just wondering the same about you."

"What?" He looked at her again. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine." He turned back to the road.

"Liar." He heard quietly next to him. "Talk to me Luke. Tell me what you are thinking." When he was quiet, she turned to look out the window. "Do you hate me after hearing…"

"No!" He said quickly and reached across the seat to take her hand. "No, not at all."

He rubbed his thumb over her fingers. "I know that none of that was your fault, Lorelai. It's very clear to me that you didn't want what happened to happen. I get that."

"But…" she prompted.

"But I want to kill the bastard for doing that to you." He growled and then sighed and squeezed her hand. "I also know that I have to let it go for now and focus on finding Rory before I let myself feel what I am feeling about all of this. She's too important right now."

"I understand completely." And she did. She herself had been pushing it as far away from her mind as she could but Chris was under her nose the last day and a half, just reminding her of what happened.

After a short silence Luke interjected another thought. "I am also wondering about why your dad wanted to see us."

Lorelai nodded at this. "Yeah me too. He was pretty vague on the phone."

"Do you think Mike and Dan found anything?" He asked still holding her hand in his.

"I was thinking the same thing. I mean it makes sense to me." She shrugged. "Although I don't have a lot of experience with private detectives." In a lower voice, "I am afraid to get my hopes up."

"Hey don't worry," he said squeezing her hand. "We'll get her back."

"She squeezed his hand in return and smiled at his use of the term 'we'. "Thanks."

"Yeah, you're welcome. And we'll be there soon, so I guess we'll find out before too long." He pulled her hand to his lips and kissed her fingers.

She scooted closer to him and put her head on his shoulder, hoping that what they would be hearing would be good news.

Paris Gellar sat in the news room, sifting through the mass amount of information she had been able to gather. She had gone through Rory's phone book and looked up everyone in it that she didn't personally know. She had found some interesting tidbits about many of the people she had lived around for so long. There was Miss Patty. She was a dance teacher and talked about Rory and how she used to take lessons when she was a little girl; then there was Mrs. Kim. She was very abrupt and straight-forward. She rather liked her. And then there had been Kirk. He had answered the phone at the ice cream shop and ended up questioning Paris as if she had taken Rory. Strange guy.

She looked over and watched Logan sift through his own pile of research.

He sat at the computer, lost in what he was reading. They had decided to run a check and gather as much information on Chris as they could along with anyone else that she knew that they didn't.

But just the fact that Chris was lurking around here rather then doing what he was supposed to do in New Haven was weird. Why would he be here? Chris knew he was here. What would he say if he had run into him? It made him wonder. And when he saw Paris, he got an idea to get her help in checking him out. If anyone could dig up information about someone fast it would be Paris.

Now he sat looking through the papers he had printed up on Chris and from what he had found his life was definitely interesting. He was the heir to the Hayden fortune. He had already received the bulk of the estate when his grandfather died and would receive the remaining upon his mother's death.

He had left for California right after Rory was born. He was still waiting for the results from Paris about California. He had apparently stayed out there for a while but had come back a few years ago. Since then he had met Sherry Tinsdale and she had him straightened out and on schedules and it seemed all was well. Then they had Gigi and soon after Sherry left him and their daughter and moved to Paris.

Chris had been left to raise Gigi. He didn't really put himself out there as daddy dearest. At least not with Rory. He had been the one left behind with Gigi and had to make due. Now it seemed he was going back to his old ways and leaving a daughter behind. Only now it was Gigi's turn. It had only taken a little longer.

Paris found a little bit on Chris' stay in California and printed it to show to Logan. She grabbed it and thrust it at him, startling him out of his thoughts. "Geez Paris. You wanna give me a heart attack?"

"Suck it up, Huntzberger. Here is a little bit about California." He took the pages she held out to him and started to look them over. Paris just stood there watching him and it was giving him a creepy feeling. He looked up at her and she just stood there staring at him.

"Oh here." He turned and grabbed some of what he found and handed it to her. "Here is a bit you might want to see." Paris took the sheets and shook her head as she read.

Logan stared at the papers Paris had given him and read more about Chris Hayden. He had apparently wanted to do nothing more then party and all kinds of juvenile activities that led him nowhere. He flipped pages looking at the things he had done and scoffed at it. He had done a lot of the things Rory's dad had done and to think he thought of them as childish when someone else did them was funny. He focused back on the computer screen before him. "Is this everything from California?" He asked Paris.

"No there's a lot more. Real estate acquisitions, more juvenile activities and… it appears a police record." She looked closer at the screen before her. "Check this out."

Logan looked over her shoulder at the computer and his eyes widened. "Print that." He puled out his cell phone and hit the speed dial.

Rory was jarred from her doze to the sound of the door flying open. "Hey," she heard footsteps jogging down stairs, "give me a hand with this stuff."

She heard the sound of the other man shifting where he sat as he got up. She could hear them making trips up and down stair putting things down and going back for more.

As they moved she was able to hear snippets of their conversation. "…so what do you think he wants with her, anyway?"

"Don't know. Just wants us to keep our hands off her." The creepy man said.

"So that means no fun for you, huh?" The other man said with a chuckle.

"Who says?" She could hear him get closer. "I won't hurt her." He crouched down and saw her start to shake. "I'll make you feel real good." He reached out and ran a finger down her arm as she shrank away from him as best she could.

"Come on, get away from her." He was near the other guy now, hopefully pulling him away from her. "I want my money, so don't touch her."

"Alright, alright. Don't worry, I want my money too." They moved away from her and sat down.

"Personally I'll take the money over fun with a girl anytime." He other man said.

"What?" The creepy voice asked.

"Yeah. Once you got the money then you can get the girl so why not have both?"

"Good point."

Their conversation was interrupted by the ring of a cell phone.

"Where exactly...?" Rory could hear the distinct scribble of a pencil on paper. "Yeah, yeah."

"Ok. Got it." He listened a moment. "Yeah." More scribbling could be heard. "Yeah ok. We'll take care of it."

"Come on," he said to the other guy. "Time to get everything ready."

Rory heard them begin to move around again. She listened to the sounds around her and started to shake as her imagination took hold of every word she heard.

Luke pulled up in front of the Gilmore mansion about 3:15 and Lorelai jumped out and ran for the door before he had even stopped the truck, having worked herself up to a near frenzy trying to figure out what they had to say to her. Luke jumped out and went after her, walking into the house to find her in the living room with her parents.

"Lorelai calm down. We just wanted to talk to you about something before the detectives arrive." She had a grip on her arms.

"Sorry, I just had all these things that ran through my mind on the drive here, I guess I got carried away." She sat down as Richard handed her a drink.

"Here Lorelai. It looks like you may need this."

She looked at him gratefully and downed her drink in one shot. "Thanks dad." She could already feel the warmth of the alcohol coursing through her and was grateful. She hadn't felt a lot of warmth at all over the last 2 days.

She sat back on the sofa as Luke sat down next to her with his own drink. "What's going on exactly?"

"Well, first let me apologize in advance…" He began.

"What… what is going on and why are you…" She was cut off by Richard this time.

"Lorelai, please, I will tell you if you can sit still and listen." She sat back and stared at him intently.

"Thank you." He turned to Luke. "It is you who I must apologize to, Luke."

"What do you need to apologize to me for?" Luke was a little puzzled by this.

"First, I have to say I am sure you won't like what I am about to tell you, but I just ask that you let me finish before you say or ask anything."

Luke and Lorelai looked at each other and then back to Richard. "Ok."

"Well, you know I hired Mike and Dan to help find Rory… I didn't know what else to do you see. I had never been in a position such as this before. And there have been no calls for ransom so money couldn't be the motivating factor. It had to be something else. But I had no idea what or who I could trust."

He looked at Luke. "And when we arrived at Lorelai's house you were there. Even though you two had broken up, you put that aside to be there to help find Rory." He placed his hands on his knees. "And then Christopher showed up and something struck me as very odd. I still can't quite put my finger on it. And I couldn't tell from which direction the feeling in me came from."

"Well, when I talked to Mike initially I confided my misgivings to him." He got up and began to pace.

"He suggested I check out the people who I am most unsure about and that are closest to the situation. So a part of their job was to run background checks on a few people." He could see Luke's face tighten up and he crossed his arms over his chest. "I didn't know who to trust or who could really help us find Rory."

He looked over at Luke and Lorelai who were watching him with interest. "So I asked them to check the two of you out. Full background checks." He sat back down and sipped his own drink. "I admit it may have not been the best idea not to just ask you, but I needed answers I could trust and with Rory missing, so much was unsure. I hoped that this would help me get the answers that would help me sleep a little bit at night."

Luke just stared at Richard blankly, mulling over what he had told him. His face had relaxed slightly but there was still tension surrounding him. He downed his drink and got up and went to the bar to get another. Lorelai just watched him as well, wondering what he was thinking.

Just as she was about to speak up Luke did. "I'll admit," he said turning around. "I don't like the idea of someone digging around into my personal life. I like my privacy. If you had asked me I would have told you what ever you wanted to know." He took another drink and set down the glass and stood up.

"I would have told you about everything I knew about Rory. I would have told you about being there when she had chicken pox, and her caterpillar's funeral and her birthdays and graduation from Chilton." He stopped and looked at Richard. "I would've told you that I love that kid like she was mine. And that I would do anything to bring her home."

His voice softened. "But I do understand why you did it."

He walked over to Richard and stood in front of him and extended his hand. "So apology accepted."

Richard stood up and shook his hand. "Thank you for understanding, Luke. I know Emily and I haven't exactly been fair to you in the past and for that I also apologize."

Luke smirked at that. "Thanks." He went back over to sit next to Lorelai and she grabbed his hand and smiled at him, tears in her eyes. He squeezed her hand in response.

Just then the bell rang for the front door.

The more Rory listened the more curious she grew. She wanted to know what was going on. Her arms were tied over her head and she lay on the pillows; she decided to take a chance and use her arm to move the blindfold enough for her to get a peek at what was going on.

They had a door open across the room and were dragging cases into the room and stacking them along the wall.

She got a good look at the two men that were holding her. One was short and dirty looking and had a mustache. She could picture him as the creepy voice she heard. He really did look creepy to her. The other was taller, leaner and younger looking then the other guy but just as dirty. He seemed to have a gentler voice but she knew she couldn't necessarily trust that he would keep creepy away from her. As she watched, the shorter man looked over at her and stopped what he was doing. He thought he saw her eyes peeking out from beneath the blind fold and stopped, trying to get a good look at her face. He started walking over and Rory quickly closed her eyes feigning sleep so she wouldn't get caught watching them.

He stood looking down at her closely and when he was satisfied that she was asleep he moved away to finish what he was doing.

Not long after the noises stopped she felt a hand shake her shoulder gently. "Hey, wake up." This must be the other guy. His voice was not as menacing as the other man's was.

She moved her head and felt her binds being cut and felt herself being pulled to her feet. He began leading her to where she saw the door earlier. "Here's the deal." He said as they walked. "We have to go out for a while." They stopped as he opened a door. "We're putting you in the bathroom while we're gone." He sat her on a pile of cushions.

"We have you stocked up with supplies in boxes along the wall and your sitting on your bed." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm not sure how long we'll be gone but this should hold you till we get back. These are our supplies too so don't go nuts. It has to last us all a long while."

He began to untie her hands and pulled the tape from her mouth, "When you hear the door close you can take off the blind fold. When we get back we'll knock and have you put the blind fold back on like before." She felt the cushions move as he got up. "Do you understand?"

She nodded her head and sat still, listening for the door to close. The minute she heard it click she pulled the blind fold off and she blinked into the light. Once her eyes became adjusted enough to see her surroundings, she turned to look at the boxes they had stacked up.

She thought about what the tall guy had said; if these were all of their supplies, why had they left them all with her? Why not just leave her enough for a day or two? They either were not coming back or not coming back for a long while.

She wanted to know what they had left and started going through them to see what they held.

Luke stood up as Mike and Dan came into the living room. "Please, don't get up." They were a little surprised to see him there but didn't let it show as they sat down. They didn't think Richard would tell Luke about the background check but obviously they were wrong.

"Would you gentlemen like something to drink?" Emily, unsure of just what to do so she went into hostess mode.

"No thank you Mrs. Gilmore." Dan said as he opened up his briefcase and pulled out a couple of files.

Emily went back over to the sofa and sat down. Richard took hold of her hand. "So, you said on the phone that you have a preliminary report?"

"Yes," Mike said, taking hold of one of the files. "Can I assume that you have told Luke and Lorelai what we have been doing?"

"Yes, I did right before you arrived." Richard nodded. "I thought it only fair to let him know since we would be discussing it."

"Yes, of course." He opened the file in front of him. "Well, Mr. Danes… it appears that you are an honest, upstanding member of your community; were born and raised in Stars Hollow; your mother passed away when you were 10 and your father when you were 19 years old." He turned some pages. "You have a younger sister named Elizabeth; a nephew named Jess Mariano, who you took in a few years ago to help straighten out; married once to an attorney for less then a year; and are financially secure." He closed the file and held it out to him. "There's more, if you want to see it."

Luke took the file and immediately held it out to Richard. "Oh, no Luke that's ok. I got the basic gist. I don't need to see it."

"Richard you paid good money for this. You should look it over." He looked him directly in the eye.

"Don't you want to see what's in it?" He asked.

"I already know what's in it. It's my life." He shook the folder. "I have nothing to hide Richard."

He nodded as he took the file from Luke and put it down on the table. "I'll look at it later." He turned to Mike and Dan. "Right now I am more interested in the other file you have there."

"Yes and a colorful one it is indeed." Mike said. He opened the other file in front of him. "Christopher Hayden…"

Lorelai's cell phone rang suddenly. "Dammit." She looked down at the caller ID. "It's Logan. I better take this."

"Hey Logan." She looked at everyone in the room. "Ok… you did what?" A smile spread across her face.

"Well, why don't you have her fax it to my dad's home fax? I'm over here now." She gave him the number. "Thanks Logan. I'll talk to you soon." She flipped her phone shut.

"You will never believe what this." She walked over and sat next to Luke. "Logan saw Chris at Yale in the library and met up with Paris and they both did research on him." She rubbed her hands on her knees.

"He's having Paris fax what they found to my dad's office." Just then they heard the fax ring and pick up.

"I tell you, that girls is something else." She leaned back on the sofa. "So let's hear what you guys have."

Mike cleared his throat at the thought of them checking Christopher out. "Most of what we have so far you know but there are a few things you need to know and I am pretty sure you don't."

Dan began reading. "After Chris moved to California he… well, he partied and fell in with a not so good crowd. He has been in trouble with the law and was arrested on drunk and disorderly charges, one misdemeanor battery charge and stalking." He turned to Luke. "This is the one I was most curious about so I got more information on it. Apparently he has an obsession. He stalked a young woman in California, who matches your physical description quite closely Lorelai."

She turned to look at him a stunned expression on her face. "What?"

"He stalked and tormented this woman for about 6 months." He flipped to the next page in his report. "He got her number and called her leaving creepy messages on her machine, calling her Lor; sent her gifts and followed her when she went out. He apparently used a telescope from the roof across the street from her apartment to watch her."

"The police caught him trying to break into her apartment and he was arrested. The young lady brought in the things she had accumulated from him and pressed charges." He looked up perplexed. "This is the part that confuses me; he got the charges dropped and had to move out of California, and the victim didn't press the issue. She also moved away."

"He got his parents to get him off." Lorelai shook her head. "His parents always got him out of trouble. They even supported him when ran off. They were ok with him not being a father to Rory." She turned away, picking at the fringe of a pillow. "They didn't even want anything to do with her either."

Dan nodded, "I was thinking that had to be it. But there's something else. I need to tell you what we found in his apartment in Boston…"

TBC...

11


	15. Chapter 15

catholicsrock

Yes indeed! Here it is!

Lorelai Gilmore Danes

Yes creepy does indeed cover it! Glad you like it! Enjoy another one on me! ;)

Brookleighgilmore

Thanks and maybe, maybe not! LOL I hate to spoil anything so read on for more!

Brookleighgilmore

LOL. I love it when a story makes me think and figure things out so I am glad it is doing that for you. Here's a few more pieces to the puzzle! Enjoy!

reader   


Thanks!

froggy moe

Yes you are right. I love reviews so thanks and here is the update for ya!

7thgirlgal

Thanks! Here you go!

catholicsrock

Well, I do the reviews that way because it is the only opportunity I have to reply (except for now it is 6:30 am-I have two school age kids and work full time) Personally I just skip over those when I read a fic and get right to the nitty gritty.

As for the pace of the story there are only like 6 chapters left so the pace is picking up just fine. If someone loses interest in this story after this short span of time then so be it. There is nothing I can do about that. I hope that is not the case but I am not going to rush it or the story will not be as good as it could be. I see too many that jump from point one (LL start to date and go right to five; them in bed a week later) with no story in between. That is what makes me lose interest in a story. It is not going to be a story that lasts forever with no conclusion so never fear.

As for the story I am glad that you like it and hope you will continue to do so. Please let me know if there is anything about the story you don't like etc. I appreciate the review and hope you like the rest of the story.

Aleta   


LOL you never know what can happen! Stay tuned to see if you are right!

justawritier

Thanks! And you will at some point get the full report. Just have to figure out the best way to slip it in! Enjoy!

Rory and logan gilmore fan

Thanks so much!

CharmedGurlie

Boy that list sure is growing exponentially! LOL Mine too! I will just have to keep you guessing on how the confrontation will play out. It is not completely done yet so your guess is as good as mine! Enjoy!

TrueLovex3LL

Yes, I hate it when I get a cliffhanger on a story I am reading (only because I want to read more of course) but love it for a chapter ending when I write. Go figure! LOL Enjoy!

GiLmOrEgIrL129

Sorry it took so long. Had a wedding to attend and such so have to get caught back up! Glad you like it! Enjoy!

mrmp

Hmmm well, ah I just can't spoil it! But here is more to read. Hope you enjoy this too!

LukePlusLorelaiEqualsL O V ...

Thanks! Yes creepy is the name of the game. I can so see him doing that too. He is obsessed after all! Here is more for you to enjoy!

Luke-N-Lorelai

Ah please don't let it kill ya, you won't be able to read the ending that way! LOL But here is the update! Enjoy!

Curley-Q

Thanks! I am glad I am not the only one in the I hate Chris club! Here's more to check out now!

hollowgirl22

LOL Here it is! Sorry it took longer then expected! Enjoy! And thanks!

PuppiesRCute

LOL Sorry about that, well, not too much but here is more for ya! Enjoy!

LorLukealways

Glad you like it! I love suspenseful stories and was hoping this would be one that fits in that category! Glad you like it! Ah interesting idea! Will have to see...

coffeeberry

Thanks and I am right there with you on creepy Chris!

_I simply have to thank you all for the reviews again. It feels good that so many of you are enjoying this fic and I just hope you continue to do so. And please do review. This was kind of a tricky chapter to write so I would like to know what you thought. I hope it goes over well. The story is progressing nicely and I hope you all enjoy this next installment!_

**Chapter 15**

It had been an emotional meeting with Mike and Dan and Lorelai just stood there looking at her hands. Her outburst had drained her quite a bit. Luke sat next to her rubbing her back, helping her to calm down. The news that Mike and Dan gave her was disturbing and she didn't want to believe it but knew it was the truth.

She was jarred from her thoughts when her cell phone rang. She pulled it out and looked at the caller ID. "It's Chris."

"Just relax and be yourself." Dan prompted. "It will all be ok."

She sighed and answered the phone. "Hello."

"No, I dropped it when I went to answer it." She listened and her face hardened.

"No I'm with Luke… Hey I couldn't take staying in that house again doing nothing…" She stopped again as he spoke.

"Yeah, we'll be back with food soon… No didn't find a thing. Just checked over places that have already been checked to see if anything was missed." Lorelai's voice showed her disappointment. "Yeah, I know."

"We'll be there soon… Bye." She snapped her phone closed and blew out a breath.

"You did good Lorelai." Mike told her as Luke rubbed her shoulders.

"Well, I didn't tell him anything that wasn't the truth so…" She turned and looked at Luke. "We have to go."

"Yeah, alright." Luke stood and turned to the Gilmore's. "Will you two be coming too?"

"Yes we already have a bag packed and in the car. We'll be along later after we talk more to Mike and Dan." Richard said.

"Ok. We'll see you there." They turned to the door but Lorelai turned back before leaving. "Thank you."

Mike and Dan smiled a small smile and nodded to her and watched as Luke put an arm around her shoulders and led her out.

They drove towards home quietly, a fast food bag between them both thinking about what they had learned that night. They still knew very little in the grand scheme of things and it was decided to just continue on as if they hadn't found anything out. They had both had a lot of practice doing just that so they ought to be able to pull it off.

Lorelai leaned her head against the window of the truck and thought back to what the detectives had told her.

_Dan pulled a thick folder out of his brief case and set it down before him. "Lorelai, I want you to know right off the bat that we only took a sampling of what we found. Only a couple of people have seen it and I don't want anyone else to see anything except you." _

_Mike chimed in. "What we found is somewhat disturbing." He looked at her and could see she was waiting to hear what they had to say. It would not be easy but she would be able to handle it with the support she has. She gripped Luke's hand tightly and he continued to offer his silent support._

"_I took an investigator with me and went to Boston to look into him further and broke into his apartment." He cleared his throat. "We searched around and at first found nothing. That is until we came to a locked room. Once we opened the door we found a small bedroom and the walls were full of pictures of you, or you and Rory."_

"_He apparently would sit in this room for hours looking at them. He kept a journal of his activities too." Dan told her. "He has been watching you for months now. His journals go back years but there are gaps between some of them of a few years but recently he has been back to... stalking you, I guess you could say."_

"_Wait a minute." Lorelai interrupted. "He has been stalking me for the last few months?" She shook her head. "No way. He hasn't been around anywhere. Wouldn't I have seen him?" She was starting to get a little upset._

"_Hold on Lorelai, let us tell you all of it." Mike said in a low voice._

_Luke just sat there and squeezed her hand trying to give her some of his strength to listen._

_She looked at Luke and then her parents and blew out a breath to try to calm her nerves. She knew they were going to tell her things she would not want to hear. She also knew she had to hear it. "Sorry. Go on."_

"_No need to apologize." Mike told her trying to make her feel at little more at ease. Clearing his throat he continued. "Well, ok. We found pictures that appear to span over a long period of time and his journals, but we also found... recent pictures too." He stopped not sure how to continue when Dan jumped in._

"_Luke do you remember the talk we had in the kitchen?" Dan asked._

"_Yes." Luke had an idea where he was going but hoped and prayed he was wrong._

"_Well, we found out more about the night you mentioned to me." He hated giving news like this. "We found proof that what he did was... that he raped you Lorelai." _

"_What?!" Richard bounded out of his chair and raced over to Lorelai and kneeled in front of her. "Lorelai, are you alright?" He grabbed her free hand and tried to look in her eyes but she looked away seemingly embarrassed that her parents now knew._

"_Lorelai?" He reached a hand up and tilted her head so she would look at him. Tears made their way down her face and he leaned forward and wrapped his arms around his daughter and held her. He could feel her shake as her tears got the better of her._

_Emily was stunned. She sat on the other sofa in shock. She wanted to scratch his eyes out for what he had done. Then a wave of guilt coursed through her as she realized she had tried so hard to push her to Chris and couldn't help but think of this as her fault. If she hadn't pushed so hard maybe he wouldn't have done the things he had done._

_She was snapped out of her reverie by Richard's voice._

"_Emily?" She looked up to see Richard looking at her, a worried expression on his face. "Are you alright?"_

_She put on her brave face. "Yes, I am alright Richard." She looked at Lorelai. "Are you alright?" _

_Lorelai looked at her mother and saw the pain in her face. "Yeah, I'm ok mom."_

_Richard got up and sat back down next to Emily and took her hand in his. He could read her face like a book and knew she felt guilty. _

_Mike and Dan sat looking at the scene before them and waited for it to calm down before continuing. _

_Luke piped in. "What is this proof you found?"_

_Mike cleared his throat. "Well, we found his journal, which we did take that described that night. He is apparently of the opinion that it is exactly what she wanted. That she had come to him to be with him, but the description he wrote down... it clearly describes it as rape." He held up his hand to stop the interruption he could see coming. "We also found… pictures of you from that night." He picked up the folder and handed it to her. "Once we saw them we took them and no one else has seen them."_

_Lorelai looked down at the folder in her hands. She didn't want to see the pictures of herself. She began to shake and looked up when Luke took hold of the folder. _

"_Lorelai, it'll be ok." He reached up with his other hand and wiped a tear from her eye. _

"_I can't look at them." She whispered. "I don't want to look at them."_

_Luke nodded and pulled the folder from her grip and started to open the file. Lorelai put her hand over it. "Don't." She said. "You'll hate me."_

_Luke pulled her to him. "I could never hate you, Lorelai. This was not your fault." He pulled back and looked at her. "He did this to you; you didn't let it happen. He gave you no choice."_

_She nodded and slowly pulled her hand away._

_Everyone in the room watched the scene unfold. They could all see the love and trust between them. And also the fear of what Luke was about to see._

_He opened the folder and looked at the pictures. His face hardened immediately and he took a deep breath to keep his composure. Lorelai couldn't help but look at the photos in the file and gasped at what she saw. Immediately tears flowed rapidly down her face. "Oh God."_

_Luke snapped the folder shut and put it on the table and pulled her into his arms. He had to fight back the urge to cry himself and to run out of the hose and hunt Chris down. He wanted to kill him for what he had done to her. He hadn't seen all of the pictures but he saw enough to know that his days were numbered._

"_Why did he have to do that?" She cried getting angry. She pulled away from Luke and got up and began to pace back and forth. She put her hand to her forehead. "That son of a bitch!" She looked at the fireplace. "Why did he do it?" She turned and faced those in the room. "Why would he lose it like that and do those things to me? Why would he take pictures? What did he think he was going to gain from it? Did he just think that this was how it went; He forces himself on me and bam we're together?"_

_Luke got up during her rant and went to her. He grabbed her shoulders, and looked at her. "Lorelai, get a hold of yourself. We still have to find Rory. Concentrate on her."_

"_But Luke..." She started but he stopped her._

"_I know, Lorelai. We will deal with him when the time is right, believe me." He looked into her eyes and she saw the pure hatred for Chris in them._

"_Luke, no; you can't be the one to do something. If you are you'll end up in jail for murder and I'll have to visit you in prison. I need you with me. I can't handle this alone." Her tears flowed again as she grabbed his arms. "I need you."_

_Luke took her in his arms and held her tight. "I'm not going anywhere." He soothed as she held on tight to him and cried, afraid he would run out of the house and head for Chris anyway._

Lorelai was pulled out of her reverie by Luke's voice. "I don't want you alone with him. At all." Luke said. "Even for a few minutes."

"Don't worry. I don't want to be anywhere near him, much less alone with him, anymore then you." She looked away. "I haven't for a long time." She said quietly looking out the window.

He looked over at her and reached across the seat for her hand, giving it a squeeze. "Ok."

"We have to keep an eye on him while he is around us. Maybe he will do or say something that will give us a clue about Rory." Luke was now convinced that Chris had everything to do with Rory's disappearance. "We'll get her back."

She turned to look at him, her eyes shining with unshed tears. She had a feeling that he was thinking the same thing as she was. "How is it you can look at me and know what I am thinking?"

"I know you." He rubbed his thumb across her knuckles. "I... I'm not letting myself take you for granted like I did before. I never wanted to lose this with you." He swallowed visibly. "I never meant to ever hurt you."

"I know you didn't intend for all this to happen the way it did. Neither did I." She turned in her seat to face him, still holding his hand. "I expected that we would be married right now and we would have Rory and April the center of our world and then maybe..." Here she stopped, trying not to get all worked up over it.

"What?" Luke prompted.

"That we would... I don't know, maybe I would have been pregnant too." A tear slid down her cheek. "But it didn't happen that way."

"But there is still hope Lorelai." He said as his voice cracked slightly. "All I know right now is that I love you and I love Rory and I want to get her back home safe." He looked over at her. "And I want that middle we talked about. I want marriage and kids and the rest of our lives still Lorelai." He smiled at her. "And I want it with you."

Tears fell down her face as she gripped his hang tightly in hers and slid over to sit closer to him putting the food on the other side of her. She put her head on his shoulder. "And I want it with you too." She wrapped her arms around his free arm while he rested his hand on her knee and squeezed.

"We still have a lot to talk about but for right now I am glad that we are on the same page here." Luke rubbed his hand in a circle over her knee. "Once we get Rory home and take care of Chris, then we'll talk more about us."

"Yeah. That's a good idea." She smiled at him and kissed his cheek.

A few minutes later they pulled up in the drive way of Lorelai's house and saw Chris sitting on the steps. He got up as they came to a stop. Lorelai had already grabbed the food and slid towards her door. "Here we go."

"Yeah, here we go." Luke muttered as Chris opened her door and tried to help her out. She just shoved the food into his arms and ran towards the house to see if there were any calls recorded. Chris just followed closely behind her. Luke just shook his head and silently counted to ten as he made himself walk after them. He knew they would need him to find Rory so he had to keep himself under control. He could still act like an asshole to Chris because there was no love lost there and it took everything in him not to wring his neck.

Luke walked in to see Chris right up against her back as she looked at the recorder and answering machine. She moved away from him but he stayed in close proximity to her. Luke was getting irritated and didn't see how he could reign himself in if he kept that behavior up, but Lorelai was very adept at moving away though and that helped Luke calm down a bit.

Chris put the food on the table and Lorelai sat down and began to unpack the bag.

Luke cleared his throat. "We brought extra in case you wanted something." He sat down at the table.

"Uh no thanks I'm not that hungry."

He watched Lorelai pull out a salad. "Yeah right like you're gonna eat that." He said with a laugh.

"Actually that's mine." Luke said pulling the salad towards him. "I like to eat healthy." He opened the lid and poured dressing on it. "Do you want some?" He asked Chris as he stared at his food.

"No. No thanks." He watched as they both began to eat their dinners.

"Did you find anything while you were out?" Lorelai asked as she ate a french fry.

"No not really." He grabbed a fry from her and began to nibble it. "I did stop by the police station while I waited for you two to get back though."

"And... what did they say?" She waited anxiously for him to speak.

"Just to let them do their job and they will keep us updated when they have something new." He shrugged.

"Yeah, that's all they've said every time I ask." Lorelai blew out a frustrated breath.

Chris put his hand over hers and she forced a smiled as she pulled her hand away to grab a napkin.

Luke did not like how he was moving in on Lorelai the way he was. He always had to touch her or be near her. She kept moving away from him though. If she hadn't been that good at it Chris would have been toast by now. Her doing what she was doing helped keep Luke in check.

"Are your parents coming back tonight?" Chris asked as he ate another fry.

"Uh, yeah, they called me too and said they would be here in a little while."

Chris was a bit disappointed but tried not to show it. He had hoped she would be in her big bed all alone. And he could finally talk to her and make her see they were made for each other. Of course that wouldn't work now and Luke certainly couldn't take a hint and leave so he could have some alone time with her.

"So Luke. Don't you own a diner?" He asked. Maybe he could get him to leave to go check up on it.

"Yes I do. Cesar and Lane are handling everything for me." He took another bite of salad. He knew what he was trying to do and it wouldn't work.

"Yeah but what if one of them gets sick and can't work?" He rested his arms on the table. "Won't you have to go back?"

"Nope. I'll just have which ever one is healthy close up until they can both be there." He took a drink and looked at Chris. "Rory is way more important then the diner."

"I don't disagree with you there, but I would hate to have you go broke if this takes a while. I mean, how much can you make at a diner?" Chris was really pushing his buttons now.

Luke's face hardened but before he could respond Lorelai jumped in, already tired of this line of questioning. "Chris, none of this is any of your business. Luke knows what he can and can't do." She glanced over to him. "Your only concern here is Rory." She got up from the table and angrily started pacing.

"Why haven't they found her yet?" She demanded. "What's taking so long?" Chris and Luke both got up from the table and went to her but Chris got there first but she shrugged him off.

"Aren't the police supposed to be better than this? Aren't they supposed to tell us what's going on?" Richard and Emily walked in to here their daughter in near hysterics. "Why the hell haven't they found my daughter yet?" Tears fell as the last sentence came from her mouth and Emily reached for her daughter afraid her rant would lead her to reveal too much.

"They will find her Lorelai. They will find her and she will be alright and she'll be back home." She took the handkerchief Richard held out to her and wiped Lorelai's eyes. "Ok?"

Lorelai nodded slightly and laid her head on her mother's shoulder and cried. Emily steered her towards Rory's room and shut the door.

"I hope we find her soon." Richard looked at both men before him, his own anger trying not to well up inside at the sight of Chris. "I don't know how much more of this she can take."

Both men nodded, agreeing on something for perhaps the first time.

Emily closed the door to Rory's room and led Lorelai to sit on the bed. She sat on the edge of the bed next to her and moved a lock of hair back behind her ear. "You ok?"

Lorelai blew out a breath and tried to calm herself down. "Yeah, I'll be ok." She put her face in her hands. "I don't even know how I feel anymore, you know? I'm trying to be strong and do what I can and what I have to do to find my daughter and trying not to think about anything else, when all I really want to do is just curl up in a little ball and cry my heart out."

"Then there's Chris; it's so hard to be calm and cool and pretend to not know what I know; and then Luke, who is trying so hard to keep it together and not just kill the bastard; and then there's you and dad." She wiped at the tears in her eyes. "I know I don't have the best relationships and we've all done things to hurt each other, but you're here with me and Luke's here and we've put all that behind us for the duration."

Emily looked closely at her daughter. "But you and Luke are back together; or are you not yet?"

"No we are, but we still have a lot of things to talk about and work out. But we both want to bring Rory back home and make sure she's safe before we delve too deeply into it. And I am trying to stay focused on all of this but I can't help but think about me and Luke and then I feel guilty because I should be thinking about Rory and concentrating on getting her back but..."

"Lorelai." Emily interrupted her. "I understand what you're talking about. And I am so proud of you and they way you are handling this. It is the Gilmore stubbornness. You won't give up until she's home." She wiped a tear from her own eye. "You are not just acting strong Lorelai. You are strong. But it's ok if your mind wanders from time to time to other things that are just as important. It's just your mind saying that you need to take a break and think about something else. And maybe that new thinking will give you a new perspective."

Lorelai smiled.

"And even the strong are allowed a weak moment. It's alright to cry." She took her hand. "My mother used to tell me that tears were the way your heart healed itself to be better able to handle what's still to come."

Lorelai smiled at her mother. She never knew she could be like this. And she knew her mother felt guilty about what happened. She looked into her mother's eyes before speaking. "Mom?"

"Yes, Lorelai."

"This isn't your fault either." She squeezed her hand.

"How can you say that Lorelai?" She looked incredulously at her daughter. "I pushed you and pushed you away from one good man to a man I _thought_ was good. I have never been more ashamed in my life." She wiped at her own tears. "If I hadn't..."

"Mom!" Lorelai interrupted. "You only wanted what you thought was best for me. How could you have known the he would do that? I didn't even think he was capable of doing that." She stroked her hand as she spoke. "I don't blame you mom."

Crying, Emily pulled her daughter to her in a tight hug unlike any she had ever given her. "I love you Lorelai."

Lorelai tightened her own grip around her mother as her own tears fell. "I love you too, Mom."

A little while later Emily came out of Rory's room, leaving the door opened a bit. Her eyes were puffy from crying and Richard went over to her. Putting a hand on her shoulder he asked, "Are you ok?"

He squeezed her shoulder. "Is Lorelai ok?"

"Yes, we are both ok. She's been pushing her feelings down so much that the damn broke and she had to let it all out." She sat down and leaned back. "She's sleeping now."

Luke sat and listened to her talk. He hadn't said much of anything himself since they went into Rory's room. He just wanted to give them some space. He knew at some point she would break down again and was glad that she had her mother here. He got up from the chair. "Do you want some tea Emily?"

"Yes that sounds wonderful right now. Thank you."

Luke pointed to Richard and Christopher. "Either of you want some also?"

"No thank you Luke." Richard said and Chris just shook his head no. Luke walked into the kitchen and began to get the tea things ready. While the water was heating in the kettle he walked over to Rory's door and watched Lorelai as she slept. The rhythmic rise and fall of her chest got him to thinking. He loved this woman so much. No matter what he loved her; He hoped that they would figure out where Rory was soon. She needed her daughter and Luke couldn't imagine life without Rory in it.

His thoughts were interrupted by the whistle of the tea kettle and he walked over to pour the water in a tea pot and placed the tea bags into it and let it steep for a few minutes. As he waited he pulled out cream, sugar and lemon and put it on to a tray and picked it up carrying it out to the living room.

Just as he walked into the room a cell phone rang. He saw Chris dig in his pocket and pull out his phone. He walked into the kitchen to take the call in private. "Hello." He looked into Rory's room and could see Lorelai asleep on the bed. "Hey, what's up? Is everything set?"

He turned away from the door way and stood at the table and lowered his voice. "Is there enough supplies in case I can't get there right away?" He ran a fingertip along the back of a chair. "Ok, good. Make sure she's comfortable and then go to the airport and right before the Delta security check there is a row of pay phones. Under one of them is a locker key. It's taped under the phone. Open the locker and your money is inside."

He blew out an exasperated breath. "The locker is 1138. The key is under the pay phone right next to the locker."

"Good, now get out of here." He hit the off button on his phone and turned to look at Lorelai again. He walked back into the living room.

"Hey Emily I'm going to go head over to my mother's and spend the night over there."

Richard stood up. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, my mother just called to say Gigi is being very difficult and thinks I should come see her so she'll calm down."

"Of course." Emily got up. "I sometimes forget you have another daughter. Please give your mother our best."

He smiled at Emily. "I'll do that."

"Night." He waved as he walked out the door.

"Good night." Emily answered. Once the door closed she turned to Richard she started to speak but Luke shushed her. "He is at the window. Just have a seat and have your tea." He said as he handed her the mug.

She sat down. "Alright."

"Richard are you sure you don't want any tea?" Luke asked.

"Actually, I think I would like some after all." He leaned forward and took the mug Luke offered him. Luke saw Chris descend the steps and go out to his car as he turned to get another mug. When he walked into the kitchen he saw a stricken looking Lorelai standing in the door way to Rory's room.

"Hey, you ok?" he asked walking over to her.

She just looked up at him, fear in her eyes.

TBC...


	16. Chapter 16

coffeeberry

Thanks! Yes he is indeed a creep of great magnitude. Here is another one to enjoy!

CharmedGurlie

Thanks! I loved those scenes too. Especially Emily. I can see her acting this same way if this were to happen on the show. She definitely needed an epiphany! LOL Hmmm just how much money are we talking here? ;)

TrueLovex3LL

Yeah I guess I do. LOL Not an intentional thing but hey if it works go with it! LOL Thanks so much for reading.

Shawn-n-Bell

Aw that's cool. I love it! Not weird for me! ;)

Well, Brittany, I think you will have more to add to your list as you read this next one!

Elliotlvu

Thanks so much! All will be revealed but it may not be exactly what you want but I hope you like it just as much!

Luke-N-Lorelai

Hey welcome to the registered users! Woo Hoo! I am glad you like this story and I hope you like this next one too!

lnl4ever

Sorry! But here is another chapter! It took longer then I expected but I just kept getting more ideas and had to run with it! Enjoy!

justawritier

Thanks! Hope you like this next one too!

gilmorefreak92

All will soon be revealed. Like now! LOL read on!

7thgirlgal

Thanks so much! I am glad it is turning out as well as it is. I was worried and still am before each chapter. Thanks for reading and here's more!

Sam   


Thanks! And your wish is my command! I kept re-reading this story and everytime I do I write even more then I had before! Thanks for the chants it really helps me get a fire going to write more and more! Enjoy!

Cblotnicky

Wow! Thanks! I really appreciate it! Yes it is intricate and I am stressing over how to make sure I don't sacrifice any part of the story that is important. It makes me feel good that I am doing this well and happy that you are enjoying it! Thanks again!

LukePlusLorelaiEqualsL O V ...

Yeah me too! We will just have to see how it all plays out! ;) I am not done with that part so here's to hoping I write it well! Enjoy this next part! Thanks!

LorLukealways

I love that line too. My grandma used to say it so I kind of used her as my unwritten part about Emily's mother. Glad you like it! 

Ah well, to find out then read on McDuff cause here it is! ;) Thanks again!

Aleta II Anon

Hi Aleta! Glad you are all official now LOL I am glad you like the story. I am trying hard to make sure all avenues in this story get the attention they deserve and am glad it appears to be working out the way I want it to. Thanks so much and enjoy this next part too!

Lorelai Gilmore Danes

Yes indeed he is a jerk and pictures? Yup he is deluded enough to do it. Something will happen to him. Not sure what yet as it is not completely written and I want it to be good. As for Luke and Company I had to make them hold back until they could figure out how to find Rory. So all will soon be revealed. This chapter tells a LOT of what's going on so I hope you enjoy it!

Curley-Q

Oooh, like that idea! May just have to use it LOL thanks!

PuppiesRCute

Mmmmm Could be. Just will have to read this chapter to find out! LOL Enjoy and thanks!

hollowgirl22

Thanks so much and here you go!

ggpassion

LOL yes they are evil but do serve their purpose! Thanks!

catholicsrock

Well, he is indeed a lowlife but as for the pictures I think I will leave that to the reader's imagination as to what he could have done or what is in the pictures. Not that my mind can not get twisted, (It definitely can) but I don't want to scare anyone LOL. Here is the next chapter. Thanks and Enjoy!

PyramidHead316

Thank you! You have said it exactly! I have always thought it was both of them. They both handled their situations wrong and they got knocked on their a$$es for it. It is never any one person's fault in any break up. Maybe one more then the other but they always both have something to do with it so…

Thanks! Yeah I have always thought he was obsessed with her and never really seemed to be there to visit with Rory. It always had to do with her and Rory was almost like an after thought. Even when he went to Yale I felt like it had a lot more to do with worming his way back into Lorelai's life. So there is where the idea for the story came from. I love good stories but hate it when they are so rushed. My mom always said 'The devil is in the details' so that has always stuck with me and I like details too. It helps me to picture in my mind what is going on.

Thanks so much I am glad you feel that way. It helps make the story more interesting if you know everything that is going on and is great to visualize (I know I am somewhat repeating myself but hey you get my meaning! LOL. I am so glad you enjoy it and your review means a great deal so thank you so much and here is much more to wet your appetite! Enjoy!

mrmp

Well, here you go then! LoL Thanks!

Avila Grace

Not quite the same but I think he is Satan's spawn! LoL Does that help? Here is even more story to sink your teeth into I hope you enjoy it!

And thank you so much! I am glad you like this story! It does my heart proud I tell ya! ;)

_Thanks so much again for the reviews. I really really appreciate them a great deal. It makes me happy that the story is progressing the way I wanted it to and that you all enjoy it so much. So I have decided to really get some details out to you and hope you enjoy this chapter! Have a great time reading and please continue to let me know what you think. If I do something wrong I can learn from it so don't hesitate to be constructive. I live for that! Enjoy everyone!_

**Chapter 16**

Chris pulled his car around the bend past the usual place he parked his car and drove through the trees and down the path, widening it with his car as he headed towards the cabin snuggled deep in the woods. The path he usually took was actually a drive way that had long since grown over. At least that's what the real estate agent told him. It seemed to be true except it was a bit treacherous.

His agent also told him the place was completely isolated and that it was going to be torn down if it couldn't be sold. When she had told him this and that no one knew about this place anymore he had snapped it up. He told his agent that he wanted a quiet get away where he could escape the pressures of city life and relax. He had used the cabin frequently since the purchase.

He came out a lot the first week to get the cabin ready for someone to inhabit it. He was disgusted with how dirty it really was. He would usually hire someone to clean it out but didn't want to call attention to it so he could keep it a secret. So he found a place to hide his car and would walk through the woods with what ever supplies he needed and did the job himself. It wasn't perfect but he could live with it for now.

After that he would spend time here, mapping out the location to the Dragonfly and her house and found the best way to get to both places without being seen. Then he would watch. He was glad of the nanny he had hired to take care of Gigi while he was away. She thought he traveled a lot for business and he just let her keep thinking that. He paid her enough so she would not ask questions and she seemed to enjoy her job and freedom quite a lot.

He slowly steered down the path until he reached the front of the little cabin in the woods. It was the perfect place to be alone and watch Lorelai and plan. He could keep an eye on her until he figured out what to do to win her back. He sat there in his car and just looked at the little cabin.

It gave him a private place to hang out in when he needed to be alone. He was able to have as much time as he needed to think and then he could go out at night and watch Lorelai. He knew her and Luke were broken up. It had seemed like it was for good too. But now his little plan had brought him to her again and she seemed receptive. Now he had to figure out how to get rid of Luke. He was always there. Why did he have to be there? Him and Lorelai were not together so he should go. But he knew he wouldn't. He was trying to get her back too.

He would get Rory back and then Luke would be history. Once he showed up with Rory, Lorelai would realize that Luke couldn't do for her what he could. He couldn't save their daughter and she would forget all about him. And he could finally woo her and make her his own again.

He closed his eyes and smiled, remembering the night she had finally come to him. He knew she would eventually. That Luke couldn't love her like he did. And then she had hugged him; Luke had hurt her and she had finally come to her senses. He got out the Tequila and they had gotten drunk. He hadn't had as much as she did and he found it cute when she was drunk. It brought back memories of when they were young and would sneak out to drink.

He had kissed her then. She had made a half hearted attempt to push him away but he had just took a hold of her hands and held them away so she couldn't push him. She liked games, he thought with a chuckle, so he had made this into a game. He took control and they had a wonderful night together. They had done so many things. She had fallen asleep so he had finished satisfying himself with her and knew she was probably having a wonderful dream about them as he did what he had wanted to for so long.

He was glad that he had taken pictures of that encounter because when he woke up she was gone. And she wouldn't answer the phone or talk to him. He just didn't get it. So he was glad he could relive it again and again until he had her back and could do it all over again.

He still couldn't understand why she had bolted the next day and why she hadn't taken any of his calls. He had only staked his claim when she came to him. Luke couldn't give her what she needed. He only owned a diner and could hardly take care of her financially the way she was accustomed to. He was of a different class and could never fit in. Even her parents saw that.

He smiled as he thought how Emily and Richard were on his side. They wanted Lorelai to be with him. They knew he was what was best for her. One day the pressure that is Emily Gilmore will win out his case for him and she would be completely his. But he didn't want to wait that long and had decided to take matters into his own hands.

And so he spent a lot of time there thinking about what would be the best way to get Lorelai's attention and make her realize that she belonged to him. He had tried everything he could think of but nothing worked. So he finally came to the conclusion that he had only one other option.

Rory. If Rory was put in a bad situation and he could save her; he would be able to show Lorelai what a great dad he could be if he were given a chance then she would want him. She had always said he needed to grow up and be a real father to Rory so here was an opportunity to prove that he had changed and that he could be a great father to her. He had made a long list of things he could do but nothing seemed to be just right. He read articles and watched television to find ideas on what to do and he could see the mistakes those people made and he just had to not make the same mistakes they did; then he would be in business.

He had only to worry about Gigi after that. He had thought about her with her nanny and he felt better that she was taken care of and he could still see her when he wanted. But then Sherry called wanting to take Gigi for a while. She missed her little girl and wanted to get to know her. The timing couldn't have been better so he didn't point out that the hardest years of parenting were over and now she could be a ballerina and shop and all that stuff that she liked to do. He just had the nanny fly Gigi to Paris to stay with her mother.

Now it was time to get everything ready for his plan to work. It had taken some time to get it all together but once he did he set it all in motion. He had gotten a hold of Shane and his cousin Jeremy and flew them out here to grab her and keep her safe until it was time. Now all he had to do was 'save' Rory and bring her home. He smiled as he pictured Lorelai in his mind hugging Rory and then throwing herself into his arms, thankful that he had brought her home and proclaiming her love to him. All in front of Luke; he wanted him to see that Lorelai wanted him and only him and for him to realize he was not good enough for her and never would be. He would leave and never bother them again.

He shook himself out of his thoughts and got out of the car looking at the cabin a moment before going in. If the guys had done what they were supposed to, she would be in the bathroom in the basement now and they would be on a plane back to California.

He had met Shane and Jeremy years ago when he left Connecticut and ended up in California and they had hung out a lot. They were a part of the 'bad' crowd, as his mother would say, and would do anything for money. He had used them before when he saw that girl in California. They had taught him a lot he had found useful. The girl in California looked just like Lorelai and he hired them to watch her when he couldn't and then he could plan what to do next. If he couldn't have Lorelai then her double would work just fine.

Unfortunately for him he had been caught trying to break in by a nosy neighbor who had called the police. They had caught him in the act of picking her lock but his father had bailed him out and gotten the charges dropped. Lord knows he didn't want anything to embarrass the family. So he had gotten off but he had to leave California. So he decided to come back to the East coast and start over. He had paid off the guys for their help with his father's money and left ending up in Boston.

Now as he looked at the cabin his heart lightened as he realized it would all be over soon and Lorelai would be his. He now just had to get Rory and tell the story of how he saw two men driving out of the woods at full speed and had almost hit him.

No one ever drove that way in Stars Hollow so it would seem suspicious to anyone and they would also go check out where they had come from. So he felt it would work for him as a plausible explanation and he tell them he had gone back to check it out. And he had found the cabin.

He would tell them of how he saw lights on and went inside to check the place out and found Rory locked in the bathroom down stairs. He would be the hero. He would give false descriptions of the men he saw and at the end of it all there would be Lorelai. He pushed open the cabin door and walked in closing it behind him.

Luke walked into the kitchen and saw a stricken looking Lorelai standing in the door way to Rory's room. "Hey. You ok?"

She looked at Luke, fear in her eyes. "Is Chris still here?"

"No he left. Why" Luke asked as he walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder and looked closely at her.

"Who was he talking to on the phone?"

"His mother." Luke was confused. "Lorelai why are you asking this?"

"There is no way he was talking to his mother on the phone." She grabbed his arms. "Oh my God." She let go and went into the living room, Luke close on her heals.

"Lorelai will you please tell me what is going on? Who was he talking to?" he followed her and watched as she turned around and faced him.

"He must have thought I was asleep." She spoke as if she were speaking to herself. "I woke up when the tea kettle whistled and saw you walk out with a tray. When I heard him walk into the kitchen I just pretended to be asleep so he wouldn't bother me, you know. And I heard him talking on the phone..."

Luke, Richard and Emily sat there stunned as Lorelai repeated the conversation she had heard. "We have to find out where he went. If I'm right that's where he has Rory, too."

"What do you mean?"

"Look Lorelai, I... we know why he is doing all of this..." He began but she cut him off.

"No Luke. That's crazy. He couldn't have done this for me." She sat on the couch and put her head in her hands. "Why? I am so not worth all of this."

Luke came over and sat in front of her on the coffee table. "Think about it Lorelai; he was nearby when you called about Rory. Has he ever come that quickly when you called him before?"

She shook her head miserably.

"He has done everything he can to get as close to you as he could for the last two days. He was more worried that I was here then he was about finding Rory. And that's because he knew where she was all along and figured she was safe." He reached forward and grabbed her hands as a sob escaped her throat.

"He thought he would be a hero and you would throw yourself at his feet in gratitude offering yourself to him because he saved your little girl."

"Oh God! He did do it." Lorelai cried, "What an idiot!" Now she was mad as hell. How dare he do this? He was going to pay. She would make sure of that. "We have to find her."

"Well, I figure that when he got the call maybe he was where she was... is. Maybe that's how he got here as fast as he did." Luke snapped his fingers and turned to Emily and Richard, "Hey, did you bring that fax that Paris and Logan sent you?" He asked.

"Yes, I did." Richard got up and went to his bag and yanked out the folder with everything in it and handed it to Luke.

"What is it? What are you looking for?" Lorelai asked.

"Logan mentioned a list of real estate acquisitions." He skimmed every page until he came to that section. "Here!" He said excitedly. "I know where she is." He pointed it out to Lorelai and turned to grab his coat. "Call Logan and tell him to meet me there. He shouldn't be too far away now. Tell him to look for my truck along the wooded area and follow the path down and he'll find me. Then call the police and the PI's."

Richard grabbed his cell phone and began making calls.

"What are you doing?" Lorelai asked Luke as he threw his jacket on.

"I'm going to get her." He turned before she could protest but was stopped by Richard and Emily.

"We're going with you son." Richard told him.

"No you're not. All of you stay here." Luke started to move but Richard put up a hand.

"I said we are going with you."

"Look, I know you love her. I do too. But I know the area where this cabin is. I can move faster on my own." He understood the need they felt to go but he didn't know what would happen when he got there. "And I can't be slowed down by you or worry about what might happen to you while we're out there." He looked soberly at Richard. "Besides, someone needs to be here in case he calls. He can't know we are on to him. Otherwise Rory is in more danger."

"You shouldn't go alone." Richard said trying one last time.

"I won't be. Logan will meet me there and he can help me." Luke kept on moving about the house gathering what he thought he may need.

"Alright." Richard said giving in. "I will do as you ask but you have to bring her home safe."

"I promise." He said and turned to see Lorelai standing by the door her dark jacket in her arms.

"What to do you think you're doing?" Luke asked his hands on his hips.

"I'm going with you." She said matter of factly.

"No, Lorelai…" He began.

"No?" Her face hardened. "My daughter is out there, going through God only knows what. I am going with you to bring her home." Her look told him there was no room for argument and put her jacket on. "If you have a problem with that we can argue about it when we get home." With that she turned and walked out the door.

Shaking his head he followed her out the door closing it behind him.

Rory sat on the cushions that had been set out as her bed and ate some of the food they had brought. She hardly tasted it though because she was lost in thought. She kept thinking about her mom and Logan. Would they find her?

She also thought about the men who had taken her. They had said they wouldn't be gone too long but they had left a lot of food. Sure they had said it was for all of them but if it was wouldn't they leave stuff for themselves outside the bathroom? Why carry it in here only to carry it out when they came back? She wasn't sure what was going to happen next but didn't want to stick around long enough to find out.

She looked once again at the window high up on the wall. She was sure she could squeeze through it. She just had to find a way to get up there. She looked at the boxes they had stacked up with food; if she could just drag them over under the window she could stack them up and climb up to see what was outside.

She started pulling them over and struggled to pile them up high enough for her to climb up on. It took a while and she was sweaty in her triumph. She began to climb up to see what was outside. When she reached the top she had to hunch over she was so high up. She looked out and saw trees all around. Quickly she reached up and released the latch on the window and pulled it open; then pushed the screen out. She almost cried when she realized she was almost out of there. Then pulled herself together and started to climb out the window.

It was a very tight squeeze but she soon wiggled her way out, grabbing on to a branch from the shrub outside the window, using it to pull herself up and sat there a moment outside the cabin and took in a deep breath of fresh air and let it out with a relieved sigh. She was free! She just had to figure out where she was and get herself home.

The moment was broken when she heard a car pull up on the other side of the cabin, out of her field of vision. She tensed up when she heard the car door open and close then waited to hear what else would happen. She heard the cabin door open and then close a moment later. The moment she heard the front door click shut she got up and ran as fast as she could into the forest. It was getting dark, making it difficult to see but she was so scared that it didn't even register in her consciousness. She just ran as far away as she could.

On the ride out, Luke felt the need to instruct her on what he wanted her to do. "Now when we get there, I want you to stay with me. I don't want you to get lost in the dark. I know my way around these woods, you don't."

"Did you explore the woods at night when you were a kid or something?" Lorelai was nervous about what was going to happen so she made conversation to try to ease her mind. And she was curious. Luke never really talked about his youth that much.

It was a moment before he began to speak. "That little area I showed you? When my dad and I would go on over-night camp outs, he used to have me go out into the woods at night to look for kindling for the camp fire. I ended up exploring the woods every time I went there and got to know it pretty good." He glanced over at her. "That's how I found the cabin."

"Wow."

"Yeah."

"So when did you get your cabin?"

"We had that back then but… when my mom was sick my dad only took me on overnight trips to that spot at the lake so he could be near home in case she needed him."

"That's sweet."

"Yeah. She would insist that we go, you know? She thought we needed father son bonding time and she had mother daughter bonding with Liz. So we went to that spot on the lake."

"Your mom sounds nice." Lorelai smiled at him.

"She was." He looked over at her and smiled a small smile. When he turned back to the road he saw the spot they had parked in before and pulled in. Turning off the engine and lights, he turned to Lorelai and took her hands. "Now, I need you to be as quiet as you can be ok? I don't know what we're walking into so I want to go in slow and quiet."

She nodded solemnly at him. "Ok."

He opened the door and they both slid out. Luke took her hand in his and led her into the woods. They moved slowly and carefully, listening to all the noises around them. Lorelai was scared out of her mind and held tightly to Luke's arm. She had the sensation of being in the dream she had the other night.

She heard a noise like a bunch of branches breaking and pulled on Luke's arm. He stopped and listened and began pulling her in the direction of the noise. Slowly they made their way through the trees. Just ahead a cabin came into view. There as a small light burning inside but not much else. They saw a familiar car sitting out front.

Luke's face tightened. Just as he was about to rush into the house, Lorelai stopped him with a hand on his arm and pointed ahead.

TBC…

10


	17. Chapter 17

froggy moe

You got it! Here is another one. I hope you like it. It is a tough write I can tell you. I read it over again and think of changes or more to add etc. Enjoy and please let me know what you think?

Lorelai Gilmore Danes

LOL. Well, I would answer all of your questions here but I think it's better if you read this one! ;) I hope you like it!

Elliotlvu

Thanks! Here is the next one. I hope it holds true to what I've written so far. I think so but only after lots of obsessing about these next couple chapters. Enjoy!

ggpassion

LOL Thanks! Then I am definitely doing my job! All will soon be revealed as the story is winding to a close. Enjoy!

JavaJunkieLL4Ever

Thanks! Here you go! Enjoy!

7thgirlgal

Thanks! With praise like that then I will just have to honor that request! Enjoy!

justawritier

Thanks! And read on to see what happens!

LorLukealways

Yes, intelligence is definitely not ne of his strong points. The character deserves everything he gets. More will happen in the coming chapters. I am just trying to decide if I should end this story and write a sequel dealing with the rest of it. Not sure yet. I am open to suggestions if you care to add yours to the pool. ;)

mrmp

Sorry! LOL Here's one more for ya!

TrueLovex3LL

Thanks! Enjoy!

Aleta II Anon

Ya know? Not a bad idea! LOL J/K You will see very soon! In the meantime enjoy this one! And thanks!

Curley-Q

Well a good idea is a good idea. I think you! And hope you also enjoy this next chapter! Gets tougher when you get to the big scenes to write. I stress over whether or not it is good enough. So I hope you enjoy this one too!

mystiqueani05

Thanks so much! I do update as fast as I can but as the story becomes more intricate I want to make sure I don't sacrifice the story. I really hope you like this one too! Let me know what you think!

CharmedGurlie

LOL Yes he is and thanks! Enjoy this next one too!

hollowgirl22

LOL Well read on for more! And thanks!

GiLmOrEgIrL129

See that reaction is as good a reason as any to end it like that. LOL Enjoy this next one! ;)

LukePlusLorelaiEqualsL O V ...

Thanks! I sure hope so. I want it as true to how the characters would act if this was written into GG (Not that it would but…) I hope this next one is up to snuff! Enjoy!

roganalways

LOL ah then what I am doing so far is working! And very soon you will have the answer to that very question! Enjoy! Thanks!

Luke-N-Lorelai

Well, you will just have to read this one to find out! LOL Thanks and I hope you enjoy this one!

PuppiesRCute

Thanks s much! And I hope you like this one just as much! Enjoy!

coffeeberry

Thanks! And try some light action to boot! Here's another one for ya! Enjoy!

Brookleighgilmore

WoW! Thanks! Thanks so much! I am truly flattered! I hope this next chapter holds your interest as well! Enjoy!

_Thanks so much for all the wonderful reviews. I can't tell you how much it means to me that you like this story. It is a tough one to write at times but your reaction tells me that all of the hard work I put into this fic is fulfilling what I would like this fic to be. So thanks so much for reading and enjoy this latest chapter. But never fear this is not the end of this fic... yet! _

_And after out friendly neighborhood disclaimer... I own nothing and make no money from nothing too. Just having fun letting my imagination out to play._

_On with the show!!!_

**Chapter 17**

Logan sped along the road going as fast as he could, trying to get to Stars Hollow as soon as possible. He was already on his way back when Richard called him and told him that they think they found where Rory was being kept and Luke was on his way there now. He pulled over and wrote down the instructions as Richard gave them to him and hung up after promising to go straight there and to bring her home safe.

He sped along his way now, his hands gripping the steering wheel as he pondered what Richard had told him. He had a bad relationship with his family but _never_ would they do something like this to him. How could her father do this to her? He knew the story of Christopher from Rory and knew they weren't close but how could a father do this to his own daughter? Did he actually think it would work? He blew out a frustrated sigh as he drove along the road and checked the time again. He didn't want to be late so he pushed down on the gas pedal, increasing his speed even more.

As he pulled around the bend he saw Luke's green pick up parked just like Richard said it would be. He pulled up along side it and got out. He looked around and in the light of his headlights he saw the path they must have taken and ran into the woods.

He walked slowly down the stairs, a smile on his face. His plan was drawing to a conclusion and soon all would be as it should be. He continued going over the story he would tell the police and Lorelai in his head as he made his way down the stairs. He stopped outside the bathroom and tentatively took the key off the nail that hung next to the door. He looked at the door a moment before reaching out to put the key in the lock.

Showtime he thought to himself. "Rory?" he called out quietly and shook the door knob. He didn't want to 'find' the key too quickly after all. "Rory… honey? Are you in here?" After a few moments he turned the key in the lock and slowly opened the door, peering inside as he did. Suddenly he yanked it open and ran inside. Turning, he frantically looked around. "Rory?"

He saw the shower and rushed over, yanking the curtain back to reveal an empty shower stall. He turned and looked out into the bathroom and slammed the side of his fist into the wall next to the shower. "Dammit!" He ran around the cabin looking to see if she were hiding anywhere but found nothing. He went back into the bathroom and took one more look around, thinking the guys he hired had taken her, but then the sight of the open window caught his attention and he looked more closely around him. Underneath he noticed the boxes stacked up and ran over to them; climbing up he tried to look out the window, but the boxes were not strong enough to hold his weight and as unsteadily stacked as they were, they toppled over with his movement, sending him crashing down to the floor.

She had gone out the window. But how long ago was that? Panicking, he scrambled to his feet and ran up the stairs. He had to find her. He had to bring her home to Lorelai. He couldn't let anything ruin his plan.

Luke looked where Lorelai was pointing and watched as Christopher came charging back out of the cabin. He stopped and looked around. "Rory!" he called out. "Where are you?" He stopped and listened closely. He had turned towards where Luke and Lorelai were hidden and slowly made his way in that direction. He stopped again his head swinging away as the sound of far away branches could be heard breaking in the back ground. In the quiet they all heard more branches breaking and Chris turned on his heel and ran into the woods away from where Luke and Lorelai had hidden.

They looked at each other, the same thought running through both their minds. She had gotten away. Luke put a finger to his lips as he took her hand and quickly followed the path Chris had gone down. They were trying to follow him quietly and at first were worried they were making too much noise, but after they heard him crashing through the brush calling Rory's name they forgot about the noise and moved faster in order to catch up to him. Luke pulled Lorelai along at a fast pace and she held her other arm over her face letting him lead her where they needed to go. They only had one thought on their minds; to get to Rory before Chris could do anything to her.

Rory had been running non-stop since she left the cabin, running blindly through the trees trying to get as far away as she could. The branches scratched her arms and face but she kept running. Now she was out of breath and had to rest and get her bearings. She leaned against a tree her breath heaving trying to get it back under control.

She looked around to see if she could find some sort of path that would lead out of the woods to a road so she could make her way back home. She took a few steps away from the trees to look at the area around her and whipped her head around as she heard branches breaking and an all too familiar voice calling out to her. In a blind panic, she again began to run further into the woods, looking for somewhere to hide as she went. She had to get away was the only thought that roamed through her mind.

Up ahead of her she saw an old gnarled tree that had large branches splayed out. She ran up to it and looked for hand and foot holds and began to climb. She got to the top and snuggled herself into the web of branches and hoped she couldn't be seen. She thanked God she had all that experience climbing trees at Lane's so she could do this now.

Where is my mom? she thought to herself. Please God send my mom to me. She put her head down on her arms and tried her best not to cry. It wasn't over yet. She just had to be patient and get out of this and she would be home again with her mom.

Logan picked his way along the path as quickly as he could, trying to find Luke and hopefully Rory. He was unsure of exactly where he was but let that thought simmer in the back of his mind. He just kept moving ahead not knowing what he would find. All he could think about was if she was ok. He didn't know what all had happened to her, but hoped she would be found ok. He didn't want to think about what could have happened. He just knew he had to get to Rory. He saw the cabin with the car in front and walked over to see what he could find.

The front door was standing open and it appeared that no one was around so he went inside. It was dusty and dirty and smelled like a cabin that had not been used in a long time. Not much in the way of furniture. He went down to the basement and looked around. He saw a pile of cushions off to the side and saw the rope and pieces of rope lying around that area and a roll of duct tape on the floor.

This must be where she was held, he thought angrily. He turned and went to the other open door and saw a bathroom with a similar set up of cushions and immediately he was drawn to the pile of boxes that had fallen along one wall. Looking up he saw the open window and smiled. She must have gotten away. He ran back up the stairs and found the window and tried to follow a possible path into the woods. His head snapped around as he heard Rory's name being called out in the woods. He stopped a moment to see if he would hear anything else before running off in the direction he thought the voice had come from.

The voice he heard sounded desperate and made him go faster. He had to get to her before he did. Not caring about the noise anymore he rushed headlong down the path towards the sound of Chris' voice.

Luke and Lorelai hurried off after Chris. It wasn't hard to follow his progress, he was in such a state that he didn't seem to be worried about the noise he made anymore. His plan was falling apart and he was in a panic. They had to get to him before he got to Rory; before he did something stupid to try to make his plan work for him. This thought made him begin to move even faster, pulling Lorelai along after him.

He heard him call out to her again. This time the tone of his voice was different then before. He must have found her. They both picked up their pace. Luke let go of Lorelai's hand as he crashed through the trees. He knew something was wrong. He had to get to her.

Lorelai followed behind him, trying her best to keep up. She knew that when Luke caught up to Chris it would be over. He would beat him down and hurt him bad. And she wanted to be there to help him out. She would get Rory out of there and then help Luke. She began to run faster to keep up with Luke, knowing she would see her daughter soon.

Rory heard her father crash through the bushes frantically looking for her. "Rory?" He walked slowly trying to catch his breath. He stopped a few feet away from the tree she was perched in and she could see his movement through the branches. He was stooped over, his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. He stood up again. "Rory, come on honey. I came to find you and take you home."

Rory shifted around a little on her perch in the tree, uncomfortable thoughts running through her mind. Why would he do this to her? He was supposed to love her and take care of her. Why couldn't he do that? What did she do to deserve this? Why did he hate her so much? She shook her head, pressing her hands to her ears to get the thoughts out of her mind for now. She had to pay attention and keep herself from being seen.

Out of the corner of his eye he caught a slight movement above him in the trees. "Rory?" The tone of his voice changed and she froze, terrified, as she realized her saw her. She stayed as still as she could. She didn't know what would happen next and began to shake violently.

"Come on down Rory." He walked around the tree as he looked up. He smiled. He had found her. All was not yet lost.

Luke and Lorelai slowed down their approach when they could hear Chris calling out to Rory and crept up and watched as Chris slowly circled the tree looking up. Luke looked up and saw Rory in the web of branches trying to shrink back inside it as much as she could. He blew out a breath in relief knowing she was ok. She must know her dad was behind this, he reasoned to himself, or she would answer and come down. She wouldn't be doing what she could to hide from him.

He listened as Christopher tried to talk her down, a plan forming in his mind.

"Rory." Chris stopped and looked through the branches and made eye contact with her. "Come on down so I can take you home to your mom."

She looked at him with a mixture of fear and hate in her eyes. "I'm not going anywhere with you." Her voice had a cold edge to it.

"Rory…" He began but she cut him off.

"No!" She yelled as she wiped a stray tear from her face. "I know it was you."

"Come on Rory…"

"No!" She cried trying to get away from him in the tree to no avail. She had nowhere to go.

Chris was getting angry. Nothing was working out like he had planned. How could she possibly know it was him who had done this? She was just scared he reasoned. She was pulling out everything she could to rationalize why he was there. He just had to find a way to convince her that he was just here to take her home.

"Rory, what are you talking about? I could never do anything like this to you." He put his hand on the trunk of the tree. He had to convince her he was on her side and just wanted to take her home.

"Liar!" She screamed at him. "Why are you doing this?"

"Rory, I haven't done anything. I saw a couple of guys running out of the woods and…" He began to spin the tale he originally was going to tell. Might as well lay the ground work now.

"Liar." She moved a little to look at him through the branches. "I heard you." She said. "When you came to drop off your little shopping list." She was crying as she talked. The pain of his betrayal hurting her heart. "I wasn't asleep. I heard you." She said quietly.

Chris' face took on a menacing glare as she spoke and he knew that he had to change his plan. He had to get her down and take her to her mother for his plan to work; one way or another. He just didn't know how he was going to do it. But he also knew it was not going to go as easy as he thought.

"And just what do you think you heard Rory?"

"I heard you asking about me; I heard you tell them to go shopping and I heard you tell them it was none of their business why you were doing what you're doing and to not ask questions." She wiped her eyes brutally. "How much did you pay them, huh? What did they get out of other then their jollies when he tried to... to... touch me? Was I just something for them to pass the time?" She was angry and terrified at the same time but she couldn't stop the words from tumbling out of her mouth. "The only decent thing you did in this whole situation is tell them not to touch me."

He fumed as she spoke. She had faked being asleep and had heard him. He just had to convince her that it wasn't him she heard. "Rory…"

"Don't even bother lying to me." She had let her own voice go cold. "I wouldn't believe anything you say anyway."

Logan ran along the path in the woods. He could hear voices but not exactly what they were saying. He slowed down when he saw two people hunkered down in the bushes watching what was happening. He could see one of them trying to get up and run into the situation that was going on but the other one pulled her down. Her? He realized it had to be Luke and Lorelai. So he made his way over to them as quietly as he could.

Luke heard a noise behind him and turned. He saw Logan making his way over to them and waved at him. He could hear Christopher and Rory's exchange and grew angry. He wanted to go after him but Luke grabbed his arm and shook his head. He pointed to a mound of shrubs on the other side of the tree from where Rory was. He moved closer to Logan and whispered. "Go around and get over there and wait for me. I need to get behind him. When I do you help get Rory out of the tree and out of here."

Logan nodded and moved quietly around to hide where Luke told him. Luke then turned to Lorelai and took her hands in his. "When he gets Rory out of the tree, you take her and get the hell out of here." He pressed his truck keys into her hand.

"Luke…" she began but Luke interrupted her with a kiss.

"Just do it, Lorelai. Please?" He looked at her and she could see the concern he had for Rory and knew that he would get her out of this situation one way or another. "Take her to the hospital and I will meet you there ok?"

Lorelai nodded and watched as he let go of her hand and moved away to get behind Chris. She turned back to watch the scene unfold.

Chris was enraged now. He knew now that his plan had failed and now Lorelai would hate him. He only had one option left. "Dammit Rory, get your ass down here right now!" He yelled. He had to get her out of that tree. He looked around and stooped down to pick up a baseball sized rock in his hands.

"Rory. Come down from that tree right now." He said his voice turning hard as he spoke.

"No. I won't!" She saw the rock in his hand and began to shake even more. She knew that he had finally lost it. She never thought he would do something like this but now she knew better. He never loved her at all. He just wanted her mother. She sucked in a breath as a realization hit her. He had done all of this to get her mother's attention. He wanted to be a hero. His obsession took complete control of him now and she didn't know what he would do next. Tears flowed down her face as she thought about the whole situation and she didn't know what she was going to do. She was pulled from her thoughts by her father talking to her again.

"Rory, I have to get you home to your mom. She's worried sick about you." He walked around under the tree looking for a good angle he could throw the rock from if he had to. He had to get her down from the tree. "I promise I won't hurt you."

A hateful laugh came from her position in the tree. "Yeah like I believe you. You had me kidnapped and now you're holding a pretty big rock there for someone who claims they won't hurt me." She saw his face turn to stone and gasped as he hefted the rock in his hand. "All you want is to play the hero and have mom be there to thank you. You are sick!"

"I am your father Rory and I am telling you to get out of that tree; Right now!" He glared at her, his intention to throw the rock clear. "Don't make me do this the hard way."

"You're not my father anymore." Rory was scared but she was more scared of what would happen if she left the safety of the tree. She wanted to keep him talking as long as possible so maybe she could come up with a solution before something happened. "You already did this the hard way. And to no avail. Mom wouldn't want you either way."

This stopped Chris cold and he looked up at her. "Why would you say that Rory? Your mom and I belong together. Can't you see that?"

"No I can't." She shook her head sadly. "I know why you did this; why you had me taken. And I can tell you it would never work. Not after what happened between you two."

"What does that mean?" He asked confused. What could he have done to make Lorelai hate him?

She didn't want to accuse him of what he did to her mother recently so she brought up old things that he had done, hoping that he would talk and not throw the rock. "You are never there. You come into town to visit once in a blue moon and wreak havoc on our lives and turn it all upside down and inside out; you are always leaving again once our lives are in a shambles. You have hurt us both time and again and expect that we'll be waiting for you to get your act together so we can be a family." She looked at him with the only emotion she could muster. Shame. "We were never a family. And we never will be."

"Rory, come on. I didn't come and go that much and I never came to hurt your mom and you. I just wanted to see my girls." He moved back to get a better look at her. "I love you guys kiddo. All I want is for us to be a family. There is no reason in the world that we can't be a family." He still had the rock in his hands but it was forgotten for the moment. "I am better now and I can support you both and we can be together. What do you say Rory?"

"I say…" she wanted to choose her words carefully here. "I say… that you are nuts and I hate you. And there is no way we will _ever_ be a family!"

Chris' face turned to stone at that statement. Now he knew there was only one way for his plan to work. And it started with getting her out of that tree. "Rory. Get down here right now." There was no emotion at all in his voice anymore except hatred. He had finally snapped; she knew that she was in deep trouble now.

"No way." She shook her head as fear shot through her body again.

"Fine." He hefted the rock once more, remembering why he was holding it. "Then I will just have to do this the hard way." He cocked his arm back ready to throw the rock.

TBC…


	18. Chapter 18

heather   


Sorry for the frustration but I think you will like this one! Thanks for reading!

Aleta II Anon

Gotta love it huh? LOL Read on McDuff!

Sam

Thanks! I have been plugging away for a few days now and let me tell you this is hard to write. I hope I do it justice and you like it!

Lorelai Gilmore Danes

LOL Sorry about that. I will try hard not to have too big of a cliffhanger for you with this one. But! This is not the last chapter so never fear! Hope you like it!

tvjunkie

I am with you. I have always seen him as just... wrong and that his interest was in Lorelai and he was just using Rory to stay close to her. Just pathetic if you ask me!

AceJournalist

LOL Well, ok then! I hope you like this one!

froggy moe

Yeah I hear ya on the love-hate thing. Same for me. And thanks so much! I am so happy this story is going so well. It is even better the I thought it would be. (The reviews are making me feel Wonderful!) I hope you enjoy this installment as much!

justawritier

Thanks and read on to find out!

ggpassion

Yeah I like that too. She is smart after all and could figure it out easily. I think that she has always had that feeling in the back of her mind and all of this confirms it for her. Hope you like this next part!

LorLukealways

ROFL I love that reaction! I was thinking the same thing for the sequel too. Just have to find a good end point for this one. I think I have it but will just have to wait and see. Enjoy this one though! I think you may like it!

CharmedGurlie

LOL Yes I have! But you are not the only one believe me! Thanks so much for reading this and for your reviews. I truly appreciate it. Here's one that many have been waiting for. I hope you like it!

mrmp

LOL Yes I am just a little but here is a main part of the story to tide you over. I think you will like it! ;)

PuppiesRCute

You got it babe! An update just for you! And thanks so much. I have a lot on my plate what with working full time and having 2 kids involved with sports. Whew I am sop tired sometimes but this is my outlet to vent and be creative and get these blinking plot bunnies out of my head! LOL So I thought this is the best way to respond to the reviews and I really do care what they have to say. I want to write professionally one day and this helps me improve so much so I thank you very much for the kind words! Enjoy this chapter!

Elliotlvu

Thanks so much! I am glad you like it and here is another for you to look through. I hope I did it all justice! Enjoy!

TrueLovex3LL

LOL Well, never fear Luke to the rescue! Read on for more!

hollowgirl22

Well, then I think you will like this chapter! I hope so. Let me know!

7thgirlgal

Yup, just like me! Read on and see what happens! Lots of good stuff for you here!

NeitiX

Sorry it wasn't as soon as I would have liked. It is hard to write certain parts when you want it all to look and sound good and real. I keep rereading what I write and just find more to add or change. So hopefully it will be a good read and you enjoy it!

LukePlusLorelaiEqualsL O V ...

Happy Birthday... belated I hope that this chapter makes up for the cliffhanger! Enjoy!

JavaJunkieLL4Ever

LOL Here it is! Enjoy! And thanks!

Luke-N-Lorelai

All good thoughts. Read on for more and thanks so much! Enjoy!

GiLmOrEgIrL129

ROFL Well, maybe it worked some... Not sure but I don't think it is too big of a cliffhanger (If it is one) for this chapter! I hope you like it!

Gilmorecrazed2010

Thanks so much! I hope you like this next one too!

Chloe 

Thanks! Read on to see what happens!

Curley-Q

Hmmm a mental institution. We shall see! LOL I am glad you like the story and read on for more right now! Enjoy!

_So sorry for the delay everyone, but I was in my perfectionist mode and couldn't stop going over the chapter and seeing more changes that had to be made for whatever reason. I just want this chapter in particular to be very good and seem like it could really happen etc. I must also say a great big thank you for all of the reviews I have gotten for this fic. I am deeply appreciative of the thoughts and opinions of all of you who had followed this story. This is a very important chapter for the story but it is not the last… yet. Alas it will soon come to an end… sigh but I am already thinking about writing a sequel to continue the story. My mind just never turns off! LOL Anyway please enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think. Did I accomplish my goal of making this a great chapter? Tell me all about it. _

_And now on to the show! Enjoy!_

**Chapter 18**

Chris cocked his arm back and swung forward to launch the rock through the air when he felt himself being yanked back. He spun around, the rock flying from his hand, to see a fist coming directly at him. He fell back onto the ground and looked up to see Luke standing over him, his face set in stone. "I've been wanting to do that for a long time."

Anger flooded through Christopher and he screamed as he launched himself at Luke, wrapping his arms around his legs sending them both flying into the base of a tree a few feet away.

Rory heard her father's enraged scream and peeked down from the tree in time to see her father tackle Luke. Luke! He was here! Her heart skipped a beat as she had a brief flash of relief; Luke was here to save her. She began to tear up as she thought that she would make it home safely after all.

"Rory!"

She whipped her head around at the sound of her name being called and saw her mother coming out from behind some bushes.

She waved her hand, gesturing her to come down. "Come on down, babe. Quick!" She called out to her as she rushed to the bottom of the tree. She kept an eye on the fight going on beside her so as not to get caught in the middle of the fight. Her focus at the moment was to get Rory out of there safely. Luke would be ok. She saw Chris get in a vicious shot at Luke and watched as he stumbled back into the bushes behind him. She hoped he would be ok.

Luke and Christopher wrestled around on the ground, each trying to get the upper hand. Chris would get on top of Luke, but then Luke would slither out from underneath him and loom over him. Chris in turn would do what he could to get out from under Luke. He got a good push on Luke sending him back a few feet and swung his foot, kicking him in the face sending him flying back into the brush.

Chris looked around to the tree Rory was in and saw Lorelai helping her down. She looked over at him and saw a crazed look in his eye. She was terrified; she had never seen him like this and had no idea what he would do next. "Hurry, Rory."

He roared as he ran at them. His focus was so intense on Lorelai that he didn't see Logan emerge from the bushes and launch himself at Chris, hitting him from the side, sending them both flying. As the roll they were in came to a stop it ended up with Chris on top of Logan and he began hitting him over and over in his rage. Bent on nothing getting in the way of what he wanted.

Lorelai ran over to him and grabbed his arm trying to stop him before he killed Logan. Chris looked up at her and suddenly yanked his arm back and swung his arm out back-handing her, causing her to fly backwards. She hit the ground and felt a bump growing on her head where she had hit during the fall.

Chris turned back to Logan and hit him again. When he raised his arm up to strike again, Luke grabbed a hold of him and violently yanked him off, throwing him to the ground.

Turning to Lorelai he yelled, "Get them out of here now!" He turned back in time to see Chris swing at him in a blind rage.

Logan coughed and held onto his side as Lorelai scrambled over to him and helped him up. He saw Rory in front of him and hugged her wincing as she squeezed a little too tight. But he wasn't going to complain. She was ok. He just hugged her tighter. They pulled back to see Chris and Luke facoing off on each other.

Logan turned to Lorelai and Rory. "Go. Get her out of here. I gotta help Luke."

"No. We can all help him." Rory pulled on his arm and he turned to her.

"No Rory. We'll be alright. You go. We'll catch up."

"Not a chance Logan." Lorelai grabbed his arm making him wince and pushed him and Rory along the path to get them both out of there. "You are hurt. We have to get you to the hospital."

"Really, Lorelai…"

"No Logan. You'll just be in the way and he'll have to worry about you too, which will only distract him and could get him hurt." She said as she walked, looking back over her shoulder.

Chris saw them leaving and rushed towards them. Lorelai was pushing Rory and Logan ahead of her and heard Chris running up behind them. Logan turned and saw him coming too and got in front of Lorelai. It didn't take much for Chris to push him aside, making him fall into the thick brush along side the path.

Lorelai saw Logan go down and yelled to Rory. "Run!" Chris slammed into her before she finished the word and knocked her flat and rolled off her. She lay there shaking the stars out of her vision, gasping for breath. He got up looking at Rory who looked like a dear caught in headlights. He started stalking towards her when Luke hit him from behind.

They hit the ground with Luke on top of him, hitting him over and over again until he felt no more resistance. He climbed off him and saw Rory in Logan's arms. He turned and saw Lorelai lying on the ground trying to sit up, holding her head. "Lorelai." He choked out as he scrambled towards her.

"Mom!" Rory pushed away from Logan and ran to her mother. Luke pulled her the rest of the way up into a sitting position and began to check to make sure she was alright.

Lorelai said nothing just grabbed Rory and hugged her as hard as she could. "I'm ok babe." She looked at Luke. "I'm ok."

Luke just put his head on her shoulder and sighed with relief.

His relief was short lived as he heard Chris moan. He was waking up. "You guys go. Get Rory out of here and to the hospital."

Rory grabbed his arm. "No, Luke come with us, please?" He could hear the fear in her voice.

"I'll be right behind you, Rory, I promise." He touched her cheek. "Now go."

Lorelai just looked at him. "I'll be fine. Now go before he wakes up all the way." She leaned forward and kissed him and Logan and Lorelai reluctantly pulled Rory to her feet and they made their way down the path in the woods.

Luke turned to Chris who had just sat up and was rubbing his head. He stood there waiting to see what would happen. Chris shook his head and looked around. "Rory? Lorelai?" He called out getting up.

"They're not here anymore." Luke said. Chris swung around and faced Luke, anger evident on his face. "You." He pointed at Luke. "This is all your fault."

"How is this my fault? You're the idiot who kidnapped your own daughter so you could be a hero. Did you think Lorelai would just fall into your arms after what you did to her?" He put his hands on his hips. "Do you?"

"I didn't do anything to her. She wants me, ok?" He advanced towards Luke. "She came to me because of you. Because she didn't want to be alone. Because you don't love her." He hit his chest. "Well, I do love her. I will always love her. We belong together. You're just trash; you're nothing."

Luke advance towards Chris closing the distance. "I didn't rape her. If you love someone that is something you don't do." His anger grew as he spoke. "I do love her. I would never make her do anything she didn't want; if she told me no, I would stop. But you, you make me sick. You claim to love someone and then you do that? You have no idea what love is."

"Hey…"

"Shut up. If you loved her then you would let her be who she is and who she wants to be. You don't take the most important thing in the world to her and use it to try to get what you want." His face and voice were filled with pure fury. "How could you kidnap your own kid? If you loved her you wouldn't have done this to her. She was supposed to be able to count on you. All you had to do was love her and be a dad. But no, you are so obsessed with Lorelai nothing else seems to matter to you."

"You don't know what the hell you're talking about." He stood up straighter. "Why don't you just go back to your little diner and leave us alone. We are a family." He pointed a finger at him. "And you're not a part of it."

"You may be Rory's father by biology, but you are not a family." He was angrier now then he had ever been. "When you have a family you do everything in your power to make them happy; if you have a family you love them no matter what; if you have a family you do what you have to do to keep them safe; if you have a family you want to be with them all the time." He was breathing heavily. "And if you're lucky enough that they return that love then you are the luckiest guy in the world. But you… you are never there. All you ever do is hurt them. I watched over the years as you came and went and I was always there to pick up the pieces."

He fixed a menacing stare on Chris. "They are my family. Not yours." Luke dropped the last sentence that he knew would make Chris crazy. "Lorelai is mine. She'll never be yours."

"No! You're wrong." He grew angrier with every word Luke spoke until he was so crazed with anger all he wanted to do was kill this man. "She's mine!" Chris yelled one more time before he charged at Luke again. He had expected it and sidestepped it watching Chris fall and roll on the ground. He got up off his knees and roared and ran at him again a murderous look in his eyes.

Logan, Rory and Lorelai came out of the woods. Lorelai stopped and watched as Logan led Rory to his car. Logan stopped and turned around when he realized Lorelai wasn't with them. Rory turned and saw her mother and knew she wanted to go back. She went over to her and grabbed her arms.

"Mom, we all have to go help Luke. We can't leave without him." Rory pleaded with her mom. "I don't want to leave without him."

"Rory, I promised him I would get you out of here and to a hospital." She took her shoulders and stared at her. Then involuntarily turned her head to look down the path as if willing Luke to emerge.

"See you don't want to leave either." She saw the pain and conflict in her mother's eyes. "We have to help him."

Lorelai hugged Rory and looked over her shoulder saw Logan leaning on his car, holding his ribs, breathing rapidly.

She pulled back to look at Rory again. "Honey, you have to get to a hospital. But I think maybe you should drive because Logan doesn't look like he is in any shape."

Rory gasped and turned to see Logan. He didn't look good at all and she rushed over to him. "Oh my God, Logan, are you alright?"

"I'm good Ace, but your mom's right. We need to get to a hospital." Pain was apparent in his voice.

Rory turned and looked at her mom. "Mom?"

"Rory I have to go help Luke. You have to help Logan." Lorelai said to her daughter. She knew Rory would be ok, but had no idea what was happening with Luke. She turned and looked at Logan "We'll meet you at the hospital."

Lorelai pulled her daughter to her. "I will be right behind you, with Luke. I promise." She rubbed her hands up and down her arms. "I know you are going to be ok; but I have no idea what is going on with Luke." A tear spilled down her cheek. "I have to make sure he's ok."

Rory just looked at her mother a moment and wrapped her arms around her. "I love you mom."

"I love you too, kid." She pulled back and kissed her cheek and opened the car door and closed it for her.

She backed away as the car started, turned and ran back into the woods along the path as fast as she could.

Luke watched as Chris came at him again. He would not let him get the upper hand; not this time. He grabbed him as he went by and spun him in a circle, letting go to watch him roll away. Chris righted himself and turned around to see where Luke was. He looked up and Luke stood before him and kicked him then leaned down and began to hit him over and over. After a few hits Chris went limp and Luke, out of breath made his way over to a nearby tree; leaning against it to try and catch his breath.

He turned his head as he heard branches breaking off a short distance away and saw Lorelai emerge from the woods and he smiled. He wanted her out of here where she would be safe but still, he was glad she came back for him.

He took a step or two away from the tree and watched as her face changed into a look of fear. She started to raise her arm to point but Luke was already looking around to see what she saw. But it was too late. He felt something ram into his back and he hit the ground.

Chris shook his head to clear the stars from it and looked up in time to see Lorelai heading along the path towards them. He saw Luke leaning on a tree nearby and as he took a step away from it, Chris charged at him.

He hit Luke from behind, before he had a chance to stop him and knocked him flat. He was on top getting ready to blast Luke when he bucked his back up and he was suddenly being thrown back.

He scrambled to his feet at the same time Luke did and ran at him again. This time when they fell Luke hit his head dazing him. Chris turned and saw a large branch fallen from a tree and stumbled over to it and grabbed it. He looked at Luke who was still dazed, shaking his head, trying to clear the fog from his mind.

He wanted Lorelai but now knew he would never have her. So he decided that no matter what happened Luke and Lorelai would never be together. He raised the stick over his head, ready to bring it down on Luke's head.

Lorelai ran towards Luke and Chris. She saw them both hit the ground and Chris get up staggering away. Luke lay there and her heart fell down to her toes. She saw Chris turn and grab a large branch and as he readied himself to swing it she threw all of her weight into him, knocking him backwards.

She scrambled away from him towards Luke but Chris grabbed her by the hair and yanked her backwards viciously. She cried out in pain as he tangled his hand in her hair and forced her to look at him.

"Why Lorelai? Why can't you see that we are supposed to be together?" He tightened his grip in her hair and shook her roughly making her cry out. "You came to me remember? I didn't do anything you didn't want me to do." He pulled her face close to his and his voice became a whisper. "You came to me."

His eyes glassed over as he spoke and he backed her into a tree, pressing himself against her. "You know we are forever, Lor." He began nuzzling her neck, ignoring her whimpered cries to stop.

"Let her go." A voice from behind said angrily.

Chris heard Luke and turned around, roughly dragging Lorelai in front of him, his hand still tangled in her hair. He brought his other hand up and began running a hand up and down her arm. "Tell him to go away, Lor."

"No." She said and cried out as he yanked her hair again.

"Tell him." Chris was so focused on getting Lorelai to say what he wanted he didn't pay any attention to Luke; who had started towards him slowly. When Chris yanked her hair again, Luke reached over and grabbed him around the throat with one hand and used the other to try to push Lorelai away from him.

Chris didn't want to let her go though and she cried out as he yanked on her hair again. Luke tightened his grip on Chris' throat, cutting off his airway and Chris had no choice but to let go as he tried to get Luke to let go of him. Once she got away from Chris, Luke increased his pressure on his neck again and punched him in the face, hitting him square in the nose. He let go of him then and watched him stagger back in pain.

Chris brought his hands up to his nose, trying to stop the spray of blood shooting from it and staggered as he looked up at Luke and Lorelai. He screamed in outrage and charged at Luke while blood dripped down his face.

Luke pushed Lorelai out of the way and stepped to the side as Chris went sailing by, swinging his fist into his face, stopping his momentum and slamming him to the ground where he didn't get up again.

Luke turned to Lorelai and saw her standing there, tears streaming down her face. She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.

Luke held her as tightly as he could without hurting her. After a moment he pulled back and thumbed her tears away. "Are you alright?"

"I am now." She smiled at him.

"Where's Rory?"

"She and Logan are on their way to the hospital." She leaned on his shoulder. "I promised them I would be right behind them with you."

"Why didn't you go with her?" He tried to look stern but he was glad she had stayed in spite of what had happened.

"I knew Rory was ok and we were both worried about you." She wiped her eyes. "She wanted to stay too but I talked her into getting them to the hospital. Logan didn't look so good."

"Yeah, Chris hurt him pretty bad." He pulled her along the path heading out of the woods.

"Wait…" She looked at him and ran a hand carefully over his bruised face. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm ok. Just a little sore now." He stretched his arm out. "I'll probably feel it more tomorrow."

"What about… him?" She pointed to an unconscious Chris.

"The police should be here soon I hope and we can tell them where to find him." He tightened his grip around her shoulders and began leading her along the path again. "I want to see how Rory and Logan are."

"Ok, let's go." She wrapped her arm around him too and let him lead her away.

A battered Luke and Lorelai emerged from the woods to see four police cars parked around his truck and an ambulance. Officer Davies ran up to them and they began to tell their story and let them know where Chris was.

They stood leaning against Luke's truck, arms wrapped around each other, waiting for the detective to come back. He had gone over and told his men what to look for, and where to find Chris. They watched as a group of armed police officers went down the path into the woods.

Officer Davies came back over to Luke and Lorelai. "I need to get an official statement from the both of you on exactly what happened. I mean everything, start to finish."

Luke looked at him briefly. "Well, I think that it can wait long enough for us to go to the hospital and check up on Rory and Logan. Then we'll tell you everything you want to know."

Officer Davies just looked at them before he acquiesced. He waved to another officer over his shoulder. "I'll have this officer take you to the hospital. Just wait to talk to me before you leave there."

"We don't need a ride; I can drive us in my truck." He looked at the police officer and he finally nodded. "Ok. Just wait to talk to me before you leave the hospital then."

Luke nodded and guided Lorelai to his truck. As they climbed in, Lorelai finally breathed a sigh of relief. It was over and things would be better. Her daughter was ok and so was Luke. She couldn't ask for more then that.

TBC

10


	19. Chapter 19

Aleta II Anon

Thanks so much. She is doing well. In fact I appreciate the concern I am postng this! LOL I really hope you enjoy this one!

Silver Mystic

Yes indeed it was. She landed on a concrete floor on top of her ankle. She had a tennis ball size swelling on her ankle. Scared the hoo hoo out of me let me tell you. She is tough though and is doing well. She loves the attention the crutches get her. She is taking advantage of it LOL that's my girl!

apalusa-light

Thanks! And thanks for being patient. My daughter thanks you ;) she is also a fan of GG and is starting to read the story (she's 15 so..) Anyhoo, I hope you enjoy this one too!

Lorelai Gilmore Danes

Sorry! I really meant to get this up but as you saw my daughter fell down the stairs. I am glad to report she is ok and on crutches but did not tear any tendons etc. But to make the too long of a wait up to you I made this chapter extra long. Thanks so much for reading and enjoy!

Hannah   


Aw thanks! I love hearing that. Yeah I decided to let you guys off easy the last chapter. I have been cliff hangering (is that a word lol) you guys to death! Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoy this one too!

roganalways

LOL Yes indeed there are more. We will have to just wait and see what happens to Chris. Stay tuned! Thanks so much for reading!

Aiden-Tonic

???? Unfortunately I am not German. But thanks

Lorelai Gilmore Danes

Ah but this and similar questions will, unfortunately, not be answered in this chapter but will very soon. Stay tuned! Thanks for reading and I hope you continue to enjoy this story!

Cblotnicky

LOL Thanks! I like a good smack down too! Hope you like this one too.

Aleta II Anon

Wow! Thanks so much! I thought about what Richard would do if he had gone but the biggest thing that would happen involving him would be a heart attack. Poor Richard. I like him so I left him out of that. ;) I am so glad you are enjoying this story. I am hoping that you like the rest and that it will answer your other questions! Enjoy!

Britterina

Wow! I love doing that! LOL It's a lot of fun when you discover a new story that is many chapters in. Thanks so much! I am glad you like it. Hehe I like the creepy aspect. I had fun writing that. I hope you enjoy this one as much as the rest!

Elliotlvu

Thanks! I will have a sequel to this one sometime soon I hope. I am glad you are enjoying this!

CharmedGurlie

Me too. Life would not be good if you don't have a Luke! ;) Man if you could mail order him I would have had him over knighted LOL 

Well, you won't find out about that this chapter but stay tuned!

7thgirlgal

Thanks! Here you go!

justawritier

Thanks! I will be working on a sequel as soon as this one is done. Thanks so much for reading and enjoy this chapter. (This is not the last one yet)

Brookleighgilmore

Thanks! Yeah I saw a lot of people figured that out but I tried to keep it from being too obvious if I decided to have someone else do it and have him be a part of misdirection but I really saw him doing this so I kept to it. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy the rest.

TrueLovex3LL

LOL Logan is alright. I like the character but not with Rory. But with the timeline of the story she is still with him so there you go. But Logan being heroic is something I could see. Especially with him being in the LDB. Thanks for reading.

Loganite   


Thanks for reading. I like Logan fine it's just one of those things where he got caught in the middle. But I do not like Chris' character but that is how he was written. But I have, however, always thought that he was a little too obsessed with Lorelai. I am glad that even though this is not exactly your cup of coffee, you are enjoying reading the story. It is very AU though because I know the writer's would never write it but I can see it playing out a lot like this if they ever did. Thanks so much again for reading and I hope you like the rest!

JavaJunkieLL4Ever

Thanks! And here is more!

Luke-N-Lorelai

LOL Thanks! Maybe he could become special friends with Rocco the weight lifter. LOL

froggy moe

Thanks! I wish I could've had this done sooner but alas it was not meant to be. I know what you mean about waiting so sorry for the wait here!

LukePlusLorelaiEqualsL O V ...

Thanks! Here's another one to enjoy!

PuppiesRCute

Thank you! I am actually aiming to someday being a professional writer so I appreciate your review. I do hope you enjoy this next one.

hollowgirl22

LOL Sorry it took longer then I like but here's a long one for ya! Enjoy!

mrmp

We will find out very soon. Enjoy and thanks for reading!

Heather   


Thanks. Sorry I couldn't update that soon. Lots going on then and now actually. But I am hoping to make it up to all of you by posting this extra long chapter. I hope you enjoy this!

LorLukealways

Thanks! I tried to picture it then write it out then kept re-reading it to make sure I could picture it in my head. I figured it would make it easier for you the readers to do the same. I am so glad you liked it too! And if you liked the length then you will LOVE this one. It is the longest chapter yet!

Curley-Q

Well thanks! I know it had a lot in it (the last chapter) I am glad you liked it. I don't say much about Chris in this chapter but I will in the next.

Thank you BTW for the PM. I appreciate it very much! And just for that I made this chapter EXTRA long! LOL I hope you like it!

coffeeberry

LOL aw thanks!

stopeatingpaste

Thank you so much!

_Hi everyone. Thanks so much for your patience. A lot has happened to make this be delayed so long. Sorry! I think I am happy with this chapter, but I think every time I read it I will find more to add. So in the interest of getting this posted before it turns into 20 pages ;) I will get it posted and more can be added into the next chapter. The next one will take a little bit of time because I know I still have a lot going on and have not as much written of the next one as I usually like to have. Thanks to all of you for reading so far. I am glad so many people like the story. I did make this chapter really long so I hope that helps make up for the delay. Enjoy!_

Chapter 19

Officer Davies watched Luke and Lorelai pull away in the truck and shook his head, glad they were going to the hospital. They were a mess. He was also glad that they had found Rory. He wasn't too pleased that they did this themselves but he was sure that if they hadn't things would have turned out differently.

He heard sounds coming from the woods and turned to see the other officers pulling a badly beaten Chris out of the woods. They put him up against the car and patted him down and read him his rights. He had a defeated look on his face and submitted to what the police had him do.

He wasn't responding to any questions though. When asked if he understood his rights he just stood mute. Davies had seen this before. He had closed in on himself and was probably going over the events of the last few days.

He walked over to see if could snap him out of it and get a statement from him.

Rory drove as fast as she dared, trying to get Logan to the hospital. He was hurt pretty bad and had a hard time breathing. She gripped the steering wheel tighter as she thought about her dad and what he had done. She hoped that he would get what he deserved.

She saw the hospital ahead and slowed down to make the turn into the emergency room drive way. She stopped the car and jumped out, running inside to get help for Logan.

She came back out with two orderlies and a gurney and they helped him out of the car and wheeled him inside. Rory filled out what she could of the paperwork and when she handed it back the nurse pulled her into another exam room. She had gotten a call from the police and knew Rory had to be checked out too.

She reluctantly let herself be put through the paces of an exam as she waited for her mother and Luke to arrive.

On the way to the hospital Lorelai could barely sit still. She couldn't wait to see Rory and hold her. She was coming home and Luke and Logan would be ok and Chris would go to jail. Everything would be ok again.

She looked over at Luke and caught a glimpse of him watching her with a smile on his face. "What?"

Luke just laughed and reached over, taking her hand in his. "I'm just glad this whole ordeal is over and Rory is ok. And that you are smiling again."

She squeezed his hand. "I am happy! Everything will be ok now and everyone I love is safe."

He tugged her hand pulling her closer to him. She slid over on the bench seat and wrapped her arms around his arm, resting her head on his shoulder.

A short time later Luke pulled up to the front of the hospital and Lorelai jumped out and ran into the emergency room entrance, Luke hot on her heels. She ran up to the desk and grabbed a hold of the top and panted a moment. "I'm looking for my daughter; Rory Gilmore?"

The nurse looked at her computer screen. "I'm sorry, but I don't have a…"

"Her full name is Lorelai Gilmore and she goes by Rory."

"Oh, well…" She looked again at the computer screen. "Here she is. She is in the examination room with the doctor right now. You can wait in the waiting room right over there." She pointed over Lorelai's shoulder.

"Ok… uh I also need to find out about Logan Huntzberger? He came in with my daughter."

The nurse once again looked at her screen. "Yes, he is in pretty bad shape. He is with a doctor now."

"Ok. Is he ok?"

"I have nothing on his condition at the moment; just that he came in in bad shape and they took him right in."

"Thank you." She turned to Luke and saw him wincing when he moved. "Luke? Are you alright?"

He straightened up quickly and winced again as a stab of pain shot through him. "Yeah, I'm ok."

Lorelai and the nurse were not convinced. "Luke, I think you should get looked at while you're here. You went through a lot too." She put her hand on his arm.

"No, I don't need to get looked at; I just need to know how Rory is doing."

Her gaze softened. "I know but you're hurt too and Rory will want you to be ok when she sees you."

Luke relented and let the nurse lead him to an exam room of his own. Lorelai walked over to the waiting room and called her parents.

Emily and Richard burst into the ER waiting room to find an agitated Lorelai. She was pacing back and forth, lost in thought. She couldn't understand what was taking so long. Why wouldn't they let her go in with Rory? And how long until Luke came back?

Emily ran right up to Lorelai, jarring her out of her thoughts. "Lorelai where's Rory? How is she?" She quickly looked around her. "Where are Luke and Logan?"

Lorelai grabbed her mother's arms. "Mom breath."

"Oh, Lorelai…"

"Mom, Rory is fine. She is being checked over right now." She let go of her mother. "She's a little shaken up but otherwise fine." She was quiet a moment "She knows Chris was responsible for what happened to her."

Emily's face softened a little. "How did she find out?"

Richard stood by and listened as Lorelai told them everything that happened. He was livid. How could Christopher do that? His own daughter. He squeezed his hands into fists and vowed to himself that he would make sure Chris was put away for a long time. He wouldn't let him buy himself out of this one.

Emily steered Lorelai to a nearby chair and sat with her to wait, holding her hand. She could feel a small tremor run briefly through her and she suppressed it again. She knew it was beginning to catch up with her.

She squeezed her hand in return and laid her head on her shoulder and closed her eyes.

A little while later a doctor came into the waiting room. "Is there anyone here for Lorelai… Rory Gilmore?"

Everyone jumped up out of their seats and rushed over to the doctor. "Yes, she's my daughter. How is she?"

"She is going to be just fine. She's a little banged up with multiple contusions and is scared but otherwise she is just fine." He looked down at his chart. "We did get word from the police and Rory told us what had happened." He reached into his pocket a moment. "She is a very strong young lady, but she may need a little help dealing with all of this." He held out a card to Lorelai. "Here is the number for a colleague of mine. Dr. Zak is a great therapist and will really help her if and when she needs it."

"I thought you said she was ok?" Lorelai asked as she took the card with numb fingers.

"She is, don't get me wrong, but since it was her father who did this it may cause more problems later on. If she does need to seek help I highly recommend Dr. Zak."

"Thank you." She shook his hand. "Can we see her?"

"Yes you can. As a matter of fact she will be right out and then can go home."

Lorelai smiled at this. She was glad she was coming home. She was prepared to sleep on the floor by her bed tonight if necessary just to be near her.

The doctor walked out of the waiting room as Rory walked in with a nurse. Lorelai smiled and rushed over to her daughter, wrapping her in a bone crushing hug.

Rory held tight to her mother not wanting to let go. She finally felt safe and that everything would be alright again. "I love you mom."

Lorelai just hugged her tighter when she heard this. "I love you too, babe." A tear slipped down her cheek as she kissed Rory's forehead. "I love you too."

Richard and Emily stood back as long as they could, recognizing Lorelai's need to be the first to hug her daughter. After only a few moments though they too went to their girls and wrapped their arms around both of them.

Luke walked towards the ER waiting room hoping that they would have good news about Rory. He held his side a bit as he walked trying to hold in the pain he was feeling. The moment he walked into the waiting room his pain seemed to disappear as he watched the Gilmore clan locked in a group hug with Rory at the center. _This is how it's supposed to be_ he thought as a wide smile spread across his face.

Lorelai looked up in time to see Luke standing in the door way and smiled, loosening her grip on Rory a bit.

Rory looked to where her mother's gaze was focused and saw Luke standing there smiling at her. She pulled away and ran up to Luke, throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him as tightly as she could. He was after all her hero. He had found her and protected her.

Luke was surprised at first but it only took a second for him to wrap his arms tightly around her and lower his head into her shoulder. He was so relieved she was ok.

"I love you Luke." He heard her whisper to him and his heart swelled. "I love you too, kid." And kissed her on the top of her head.

Lorelai watched them a moment. _This is how it's supposed to be._ She thought as she walked over and hugged them both.

Officer Davies came into the waiting room a short time later and saw Rory planted firmly between Luke and Lorelai. He walked over to them and pulled up a chair in front of them. "Hi. You must be Rory."

Rory just looked at him a moment. "Yes I am." 

"I am Officer Davies." He said. "I wanted to make sure you were ok."

"Yeah, I'm ok I guess." Rory stayed as close as she could to Lorelai.

"Did you get him?" She asked.

"Yes, Mr. Hayden is in custody. Although he is not very forth coming with any information." He sat back in his chair. "We also caught his two partners. Based on what you told us he said on the phone we watched the locker and got them as they walked away. They can't talk fast enough."

"Good." Luke piped in. He was glad they got them all.

"I also came here tonight because I need to get a statement from you and your mom and Luke."

"Can't this wait a bit?" Lorelai jumped to her daughter's defense. "She's been through so much already."

"I understand Ms. Gilmore, but I need to get a statement now while everything is still fresh in her mind. This way it will be easier to make sure Mr. Hayden can't find a way to get out of what he has done."

"But…"

"Mom, it's ok. I need to do this and I might as well do it now." She held her mother's hand.

"Ok." Lorelai was proud of her strength. "But I think you should find somewhere private to go talk. And I am going to be with you."

"Mom…" This time Lorelai interrupted her.

"I do not want you out of my sight for a while kid. Sorry if that cramps your style but that's how it is."

Rory smiled at her. "I can live with that."

Officer Davies stood up. "I have arranged to have a room available with the nurses. We can go in there and talk ok?"

"Yeah ok." Rory stood up and pulled her mother along with her by her hand.

Luke, Emily and Richard waited for what seemed like hours for them to return. Luke couldn't take the waiting anymore and began to pace.

Emily watched him as he wore a trail in the carpet and couldn't help but admire him his love of her girls. There was no longer any question that he loved them and that he was the best man for them. And after all that had happened and all that he had done to help get her back, there was no way she was going to interfere anymore.

She was about to call Luke over to sit by her but then Rory and Lorelai walked back into the waiting room both of their eyes full of tears. It looked as if it was a very emotional statement she had made and Lorelai gave hers at the same time. Luke went over and put his arms around them, helping to sooth them.

Officer Davies walked into the waiting room to ask Luke to follow him to also give his statement. He only nodded and looked over at the girls. "You two ok?"

Rory just smiled and rested her head on his shoulder. "Yeah we're ok. It's just hard to relive all of that so soon you know?"

"Yeah I know." He rubbed his hand up and down Lorelai's arm. "Look I am going to go give my statement and then we need to find out about Logan, ok?"

"Yeah, in fact, I can try to see what I can find out while you are in there." She leaned over and kissed him lightly.

"Ok." He gave Rory one more squeeze and kissed her forehead and followed the officer in to the room where he would give his statement.

Lorelai and Rory found out more information about Logan and went in to see him. He had a few broken ribs and lots of bruising and a mild concussion. The doctor had ordered him to stay in the hospital a few days to make sure there were no complications, but was optimistic that Logan would be just fine.

Rory hugged him carefully and he made her promise to go home with Luke and Lorelai and he would see her soon.

As Lorelai and Rory walked back to the waiting room Luke came out of the little room he had been speaking to Officer Davies in. He saw them and smiled as he walked over to them. "Did you find out about Logan?"

"Yeah," Rory chirped in. "We just left his room. He's going to be ok, but he has to spend a day or so here to make sure."

Luke put his arms around both women and led them to the ER waiting room. "Good, I'm glad. He was really brave to jump in like that."

"Yeah he was." Rory smiled as she leaned into him as they walked into the waiting room.

"Rory, Lorelai, Luke. I am so glad you are back. Is everything ok?" Rory pulled away from her mom and Luke to let her grandparents hug her.

"Yeah mom it is. I'll fill you in on the details later. I just want to get Rory home now." She looked at her mother.

"Ok. But I do want you to stay with us for a few days. So you don't have to go back to that house right away." Emily was worried about Rory having trouble dealing with it all.

"No, grandma but thanks, I want to go home." Tears slipped down her cheek. "When I was in that cabin all I could think about was going home to mom." She moved over by her mother and reached over and took a hold of Luke's hand. "I just want to go home." She whispered.

"I understand Rory, and I admire your strength." She touched her cheek. "I don't think I would be able to go back immediately myself." She held up a finger. "But…"

Rory laughed a bit. "I know grandma. If I need to get away I always have a room with you." She stepped forward and hugged her grandmother again.

"Mom, why don't you and dad stay another night at the house? That way we can all tough it out together." Lorelai wanted so much for Rory to have people around her that loved her and thought this would be a good way to do it.

"No thank you Lorelai. We are going to go home and let you have a little peace." Her father said. "But we do want you to call us if you need anything and come over when ever possible." He smiled at Rory. "We want to see all of you as much as possible."

"Thanks dad. We'll call you when we get up tomorrow and see what happens from there ok?"

"Very good Lorelai."

Lorelai squeezed Rory's shoulders. "Ready to go home?" She looked at her.

"Yes, let's go home." Rory was glad to be with her mother again and couldn't wait to get home again. They walked down the hall on their way home.

A while later they pulled up to the Gilmore house and Luke and Lorelai flanked Rory on the way in, making sure she would be ok sleeping here tonight.

Rory walked into the house and stopped in the kitchen a few feet from her door. Her mind flashed to what happened; she could feel the damp cloth over her mouth again and struggling with her kidnapper; she could hear voices in the distance.

Suddenly she was brought out of her memory by her mother calling her name. By the tone she had used she must have been calling out to her a few times and had to yell to get her attention.

Lorelai looked at her worriedly, "are you ok?"

Tears raced down her cheeks. "Sorry, I think I was having a flash back or something. I could almost smell the chemical on the cloth they put over my mouth."

Lorelai pulled her into a hug. "It's ok, babe." She pulled back after a few minutes. "Is it too soon to be back here?" She wanted her to be comfortable and hoped they had done the right thing by bringing her home. "Should we call grandma and go over there?"

"No, no. I have to face it now or I may never be able to come back in this house again." She took a deep breath and moved forward slightly then stopped again and looked at her mother and Luke. "Although, I wouldn't mind not sleeping in my room right now."

Lorelai smiled at her. "Well, then that leaves only one option." She tried her best to come up with a cheerful voice to change the mood in the room.

"And what's that?" Rory asked.

"A carpet campout!" She laughed and flung her hands up in the air.

Rory couldn't help but laugh. "You're crazy you know that don't you?"

"It's all a part of my charm." She put her hands on her hips with a small smile playing on her lips. "Come on! It'll be fun! We can build a fire in the fireplace, push back the furniture and make s'mores!" She winked at Luke and was rewarded with a smile. "What do ya say?"

She hugged her mother. "I think it sounds wonderful."

Luke watched them for a moment and was amazed at the ease with which Lorelai broke Rory out of her mood. She was an amazing mother and he could only hope that they would have kids some day too. She would be just as amazing with them as she is with Rory.

"Well," Luke said. "How about I get the fire going and you two grab pillows and blankets and your disgusting junk food." Luke smiled and walked over to the fireplace.

"Well, you heard the man; let's get this show on the road!" Lorelai laughed as they went to gather their supplies.

By the time they came back loaded down with everything Luke had a big fire roaring away in the fireplace and had pushed back all of the furniture, leaving a large space open in the middle of the room.

They spread out a couple of blankets to sit on and put the other blankets and pillows aside until they were needed. Then set up the ingredients for s'mores and taught Luke how to make the perfect s'more. Luke told them more about his camping trips when he was a kid and they both told stories from their childhoods, laughing uproariously as they let the world outside disappear.

As the night wore on, Rory grew more and more tired and set out to make herself a bed. Lorelai helped and covered her with a blanket before kissing her forehead.

She sat there for a bit watching her sleep, happy that she was finally home. Should couldn't believe that it was over. Luke slid up behind her as she watched Rory sleep and wrapped his arms around her. She leaned against his chest and sighed.

"You ok?" He asked rubbing a hand up and down her arm.

"Yeah, I'm good." She smiled at him her eyes shining. "My baby is home and safe and you're here; I couldn't ask for anything more." Tears fell as she spoke.

Luke reached a hand up and gently wiped her tears away. She put her hand over his and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Thank you so much, Luke. For everything you've done. It's good to know you're in our corner."

"I always will be." He cleared his throat. "Tomorrow I'm going to the hardware store." He continued to run his hand up and down her arm. "I'm going to change the locks on the doors and windows and at her dorm too. I am going to do what I can to make her feel safe." He looked down at Rory, thankful she was ok. "I want her to be ok and if she feels safe then that's one less thing for her to worry about."

"You are absolutely amazing, you know that?" She let herself really relax for the first time since Rory disappeared. He wrapped his arms tighter around her and kissed the side of her head. "You're pretty amazing yourself." They sat and silently watched Rory sleep while the light from the fireplace flitted across her face.

"Lorelai?" Luke's voice broke through the silence. "I'm sorry about everything I put you through." He turned a little to look at her. "I love you. I have always and will always love you… you and Rory."

She looked at him closely, tears forming in her eyes as he spoke. "I'm sorry too. For everything I did. I never wanted to hurt you." She reached over and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. "I love you too. Can you ever forgive me?"

"I think that can be arranged. As long as you forgive me too." She smiled at him and leaned forward to kiss him again.

"You got it." She giggled.

Luke chuckled and pulled her face to him again for another kiss. Luke pulled back and smiled then pulled her down into his embrace where they fell asleep, arms wrapped tightly around each other.

The night wore on slowly and Lorelai, Luke and Rory were all sound asleep on the living room floor. Rory fidgeted in her sleep as a dream ran through her subconscious.

_She was once again up in the tree in the woods. She heard a sound of something crashing through the brush and heard her father's voice calling out to her. She tried to hide in the tree as best she could._

_He caught sight of her movement as she tried to become part of the tree and called out to her again. By the tone in his voice she knew that he had seen her. "Rory. Honey come on down."_

"_No, I won't." He heard her small voice answer him. He smiled to himself He had her now._

"_Rory, please, it's your dad. Come on down so I can take you home." He walked slowly to the base of the tree._

"_No!" She called out. "I'm not going anywhere with you!" She was terrified. What was she going to do now?_

"_Rory, come on. I saw a couple of guys…" He was cut off as Rory screamed out at him._

"_Liar!" She looked down at him, fear and anger filling her face. "I know what you did!" She angrily swiped at her tears. "You were the one who did this. Why would you do this?"_

"_Do what Rory? I just came to find you…"_

"_Shut up! Just quit lying to me." Her voice turned cold. "I heard you. I heard your voice. You were the one who had those guys grab me. Why?"_

"_Rory…" he began._

"_Why!" She yelled down to him._

"_Rory, I just want to get you home to your mom. She's really worried about you." He tried one last time. "Please?"_

_Suddenly realization struck her. "Oh my God. You were using me weren't you?" She watched his face change as she spoke. "You just wanted a way to get to mom, didn't you?" She couldn't believe he would do this. "You wanted to be the one to find me and bring me home so she'll want to be with you. You wanted to be the hero didn't you?"_

"_Rory, no, I... had nothing to do with that."_

"_You're lying." She was angry now. _

"_Rory," he began, getting angry himself. "Just get down here right now!" He yelled at her. He looked at the ground and stooped down pick up a baseball sized rock._

_Rory saw this and her eyes widened. She began to move back as best she could in the tree._

"_Get down here Rory. Don't make me get you down my way." He hefted the rock in his hand, ready to throw._

"_Leave me alone! Leave mom alone!" She cried. Suddenly the rock sailed through the air and struck her in the shoulder. Flailing madly she tried to keep her grip on the tree but slipped and as she felt herself falling she screamed._

Lorelai and Luke jolted awake as they heard Rory scream. Lorelai was up in an instant grabbing Rory by the shoulders and calling out to her. "Rory! Wake up Rory!" She wrapped her arms around her and smoothed her bangs back. "Mommy's here baby." She began to rock her as she felt her wrap her arms around her waist crying.

Luke jumped up and grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around them as he sat back down on Rory's other side. He put his arms around them and held them as tightly as he could.

When Rory calmed down she looked at her mom and Luke on either side of her and began to feel safe. "I'm sorry." She whispered.

"Hey, kid… don't apologize. You didn't do anything wrong." She smoothed her hair back from her forehead and kissed her. "None of this is your fault, ok?"

Rory just nodded and leaned back against Luke. "I dreamed about what happened in the woods."

Luke began to rub her back. "Tell us what happened in the dream. Was it different?"

She just looked down at her fingers as she picked at the edge of the blanket.

"Come on kid. Talk to us. We're here for you." Lorelai's voice came across as soothing. "Tell us about the dream." She took a hold of her hand and squeezed it comfortingly.

Rory looked at her mother and then at Luke and could see nothing in their eyes that said they blamed her for anything. With her other hand she took hold of Luke's and squeezed it and told them of her dream. By the end she had gotten pretty upset but kept talking.

"… and you and Luke weren't there and he threw the rock…" She hiccupped before continuing. "… it hit me and I couldn't hold on and I fell." She broke down in tears and Luke wrapped her in his arms again and just let her cry.

"Oh babe." She wiped her tears away from her face. "I know that must have been scary but you have to remember that Luke and I _were_ there. We would _never_ let anything happen to you."

"She's right Rory. We would never let anything happen to you. Ever. Got it?" He smiled at her and was rewarded with a smile in return.

"Tell me what else is bugging you." Rory looked up at her mother sharply. She knew she couldn't hide anything from her. She looked down again and could still feel the soothing rhythm of Luke rubbing her back. "You need to get it out Rory."

"I just can't understand what would make him do this. I mean, I'm his daughter. He is supposed to love me. Instead he uses me to try to get to you." The tears fell again. "Why can't he just be my dad and love me?" She broke down again.

"Hey," Luke said. "I think he did love you Rory. He just had other issues that made him over look that."

"No." She shook her head. "No he never did. He's just obsessed with mom." She squeezed Luke's hand. "I look back and realize he never once came to see just me. He was always seeing someone else and needed to kill time or he came for mom and tried to weasel his way inside only to take off and hurt us both when he couldn't handle it." She looked up at her mom. "I'm nothing to him; just a means to an end."

Lorelai's heart broke at her words. But she couldn't argue with her. She had had those same thoughts. "I don't think he thought everything through." Lorelai said. "He didn't plan on everything going wrong and he didn't want you to be hurt..."

"He may have thought that in the beginning." Rory piped in. "But he would've thrown that rock at me if Luke hadn't stopped him."

"But he did stop him Rory." She brushed her hair away from her face. "And I can guarantee you that Luke would never let anything happen to you. No matter what." She looked directly at her as she spoke and then looked at Luke who was nodding along with her.

"She's absolutely right Rory." He turned her chin up to look at him. "No matter what, no matter the circumstances, I love you and your mother and will always be here. For whatever you need."

Fresh tears ran down her face and she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him as tightly as she could. She knew she could always count on him and that he loved her, but he had never told her this out right. Now that he has she really feels like it is true.

Lorelai watched them, tears running down her face. Luke looked up at her and reached out a hand and pulled her into the embrace.

A little while later they all lay down on the floor to go to sleep, Rory tucked firmly between Luke and Lorelai.

TBC…

18


	20. Chapter 20

froggy moe

Thanks! Sorry I know I tool too long. I really wanted to get this chapter up sooner but I blame it all on DRL. Pesky thing just keeps getting in the way! Here's a new one to enjoy!

PuppiesRCute

Me too. I have so many ideas on how the rest will unfold that who knows what will happen. I hope you like it all so far. Thanks!

justawritier

Thanks! I am really glad you like it so far. I hope this chapter entertains as well. Let me know! Enjoy!

hollowgirl22

Thanks! Enjoy!

7thgirlgal

Well, thanks! I hope this one lives up to the rest of the story. I really like this one and you you do too!

Britterina

Thanks! Enjoy!

CharmedGurlie

Thanks so far it is getting better here but still takes up a lot of time so I apologize for the delay. I have wanted to get this up for a few days but damn RL keeps getting in my way. But I pushed it aside and finally made it through to post this next one! I hope you like it!

LukePlusLorelaiEqualsL O V ...

Thanks! I have a sneaking suspicion you will like this chapter too! Let me know!

Curley-Q

Thanks! Me too. I am going to be working more on getting Logan in the story more but I have to believe it (not hard for me since my imagination is constantly coming up with all kinds of ideas) but we will see a lot more of a few people. I am trying to make it so most characters have some sort of part in this story that fits. I hope I have delivered so far and look forward to your reviews in the future. In the meantime here is another chapter to enjoy! Thanks again!

Luke-N-Lorelai

Thanks! But there is much more to come. My imagination is taking me to lots of freaky places so you will see a lot more as I go. Enjoy!

TheLongLostGilmoreGirl47

Thanks! She is much better and as demanding as ever for a 15 year old, which is actually a lot, lol. Anyway thanks and I hope you like this chapter too!

Elliotlvu

Thanks and here you go! I hope you like this one!

Lorelai Gilmore Danes  


Thanks me too. Good thing she is young and resilient. Didn't do as much damage as I thought she had ultimately. I really like this chapter too for all the same reasons you listed. I tend to obsess on whether I get the characterization down correctly so I am gratified to hear someone tell me this so thanks so much for that!

Definitely no sunshine and daisies. Maybe some slight denial or more, not sure yet how exactly it will all play out but I think it will be good.

Do not worry about that. Richard and Emily are not done by a long shot so hang tight. I think you will like what I eventually will come up with.

Hehe, just wait. I think you will especially like this chapter then. I will say no more right now but wait to see your response on this topic.  
Thanks for also being patient. I hate waiting too long to get a chapter up but have just not had a lot of time on my hands but I did get this one done and to my surprise have only beta'd it once so if I missed anything forgive my humble self lol 

Cblotnicky

Thanks! Wow I appreciate that. I like to think I can read people and characters well and this is how I saw Chris. Glad you like it. I kind of wonder myself too. I think he is like this all the way, but he has, up to now, been good at hiding it 

Brookleighgilmore

Thanks I think so too. Sorry for the delay but I have a nice long one for you!

Sarah   


Thanks! It was so nice to write it. I have a mushy mind at times and it really worked for me here. I hope you like the rest too!

LorLukealways

Thanks. She may be at that. I can't wait to see what happens myself! LOL

_Hi all,_

_I think I got all of the reviews. I may have missed some of them and if I did, Sorry!!!! I must say I appreciate all of the reviews I have had so far on this story. I appreciate the fact that you take time out of your day to read and comment on my story and I am grateful to each and every one of you. This chapter is a long one and I hope you enjoy it and make lots of jokes if you want. I am game for anything! Now on with the story!_

Chapter 20

He was looking out the window of the police car as it pulled up in front of the police station. He had spent the last hour in the secure section of the emergency room getting checked out before being taken to the police station. The doctor had looked him over and said he was fine and cleaned him up a bit before releasing him to the custody of the police. He almost wished now that he had had to stay over night in the hospital. From the looks of the police station he wasn't in for a very comfortable night.

One of the officers opened the back door and pulled him out roughly and stood him on his feet and walked him inside. He sat him in a chair at a desk in the back of the room and uncuffed one hand and bringing it around to the loop secured to the desk. "Hey." He rattled the cuffed on his hand and looked at the officer who just glanced at him and turned to walk away. "Hey, take this damn thing off me." He yelled.

"Quiet down, Mr. Hayden." Another officer sat at the desk he was put at. "I need to get some information from you before we proceed with your booking." He turned on his computer and started typing then turned to Chris. "I am going to ask you a series of questions, and I need you to be as complete as possible in your answers. I want to make sure I get it down correctly."

"Don't I need a lawyer for all of this?" He did not want to go through all of this until he talked to a lawyer.

"Not for this part. This is something everyone goes through and what I get from you will be given to your attorney when he gets here." He turned back to the computer a moment. "Once we're done with booking you can call your lawyer and he can come down and talk to you about what the next steps are."

"I want my lawyer before I do anything." Chris was adamant. He was used to getting what he wanted and didn't think now should be any different.

"Too bad. If you don't want to cooperate then don't, it's up to you." Now I am going to ask questions and we'll see what you don't want to answer."

As he began asking questions Chris decided it was best just to answer them. They all seemed like generic questions like name, address and phone number type stuff so he went ahead and answered. All too soon this part of the process was over and he thought it was time to make his phone call. He was surprised when his hand was uncuffed and re-cuffed behind his back.

"When do I make my phone call?" He asked as they led him to the back.

"When we're done here." He said. He knocked on the door and when it opened Chris saw the biggest man he had ever seen in his life standing right before him.

"Hey Turner. Got a newbie for you." The officer said as he pushed Chris through the door and handed him a file.

Turner just smiled and grabbed his shoulder and pulled him into the room.

Emily and Richard walked into their house late that night after leaving the hospital. It felt strange walking into their house. They hadn't slept there for a few nights so it felt as if they had been on a long trip. Now they were home. Neither wanted to go up to bed just yet and stood there looking at the stairs.

"Would you care to join me in a night-cap, my dear?" Richard spoke breaking her out of her reverie.

"Oh… yes that would be just what I need right now." She took his pro-offered hand and followed him into the living room. She sat down as he walked over to the bar and prepared them both a drink.

Her mind turned towards Christopher. She just couldn't understand what had happened. Why had Christopher resorted to something like this? How could he do that to his own daughter? She knew he had always wanted Lorelai but never knew he was so completely obsessed with her. He had been able to keep himself in check when he was around her but what exactly had happened to make him snap and do something like this?

She had helped him as best she could and it hadn't worked. Then she had finally come to accept Luke as Lorelai's choice and then the next thing she knew they were broken up. She had been sad for a very long time and would not even discuss Christopher at the time; but now she knew why. Tears sprang to her eyes as she thought about the report the investigators had shown them; what Christopher had done to her little girl. How could she have misjudged him so badly?

She realized that a part of her hurt feelings was her pride. She had always prided herself on being a good judge of character but had been proven wrong and now her pride was hurt. She then felt ashamed about that. Her daughter and granddaughter had gone through something horrific and she was stewing over hurt pride.

She was jolted out of her thoughts again as Richard handed her the drink he had for her. "Are you alright Emily?" He asked as he sat down next to her.

"Yes. I'm fine." She sipped her drink.

"Emily." He just stated her name and she knew he knew she was lying. She wasn't ok at all.

She sighed and looked up at him. "I never could fool you could I?"

He smiled as he laid a hand on her knee. "No my dear you never have." He sat back at looked at his wife. "Tell me what's bothering you."

"I was sitting here going over things in my mind. Rory's kidnapping, Lorelai's… rape and Luke and Logan going through hell in the woods to get her back." Richard nodded and waited for her to continue. "Then I sat here and realized the a part of me is hurt because I couldn't see Christopher for what he really was."

"You do pride yourself on being a good judge of character." He nodded as she spoke.

"Yes. I do. But then I realized that he completely fooled me into believing he was one thing when he was something else." She looked away. "I am ashamed of myself for that; for letting my pride be hurt like that." She got up from the sofa. "I should be thinking more about Lorelai and Rory; I should be there right now taking care of them. I should be…"

"Emily!" He stood up in front of her and pulled her into his arms and held her as she finally let out the pain she had been holding in so long. They clung to each other for a little while before Richard steered her towards the sofa again.

"Emily, don't beat yourself up about this. You can not change what has already come to pass. We can only help them through what they have to face to get over this ordeal." He rubbed his hand gently up and down her arm soothing her.

She leaned her head on his shoulder. "You're right. I know you're right. It's just not that easy for me to let all of that go." She wiped her eyes and sat up. "But I know when I see them again I will be able to do it. It's just right now I feel very weak and can't get it out of my mind."

"That's alright Emily. We all need to get things off our chests now and then. Just consider me your sounding board when you need to let off steam." She smiled up at him.

"How did I get so lucky?" She leaned forward and kissed him.

"Good genes." Richard hugged her. "Come on. Let's go try to get some sleep so we can go see the girls tomorrow." He pulled her up off the couch and led her to the stairs.

The guard, Turner, pulled Chris inside the room and took him over to the finger print station and uncuffed him. He stood off to the side as a smaller officer grabbed his hand and rolled his fingers on the ink pad and transferred them to a finger print card. He wasn't to happy about this but did know it had to be done so he submitted to it. Once he was done he was given wet naps to clean the ink off of his fingers and then was taken over to another desk.

Another officer took the sheet Turner handed him. "Empty your pockets onto the desk please." He said without looking up.

Chris started digging his personal items out of his pockets and placing them on the desk. The officer took them one by one and logged them on a report and placed them in an envelope. When he had everything he handed the report to Chris. "Take a look at this. If I missed anything let me know; if I got it all sign on the bottom line."

Chris looked over the list and signed it, handing it back. He watched as he sealed the envelope and stapled the report to the outside of it and put it into a box on the shelf behind him.

Turner grabbed his arm and walked him over to the back section of the room. There was a shower head but the wall next to it was only about waist high. "What's this?"

Turner just looked at him. "Time for you to get cleaned up and changed."

"Oh." He walked over to where Turner indicated and turned around.

"Now, strip down and put your clothes over the side of the wall."

Chris complied and as he put his clothes on the wall someone else came by and logged them in and bagged them up. Once he was completely naked he looked over at Turner who was standing there looking at him.

"Can't I have a private shower?" He asked as Turner just continued to stand there.

"Not time for a shower just yet." Turner replied. "Besides, your days of private showers are over for a while."

"Not a chance, man. My lawyer will have me out of here as soon as possible." Chris replied indignantly.

"That's all well and good, but right now you're here so lets make this easier by doing what you're told."

"Fine, so what's next then?" He asked. Turner was right about one thing. It would be easier if he just complied.

"Now, turn around, bend over at the waist and spread your cheeks." Turner told him.

"What?" Chris backed up a bit. "What the hell for?"

"I think you heard me." Was all Turner said, dropping his arms down to his sides.

"Why the hell do you want me to do that?" He had backed up further at the thought of what was going to happen next.

"Cavity search."

"What?" He said incredulously. "No way! I want my lawyer right now!"

Turner took a few steps towards him. "Are you refusing to comply?" He flexed his hands into fists.

Chris saw this and was immediately worried. He didn't want to submit to this. Why was this necessary? He was not a criminal or a drug dealer or anything like that. "But…"

Turner looked at him with steely eyes and motioned for him to turn around with his finger. Chris knew if he refused they would make him do it anyway. With a deep sigh, he turned around and did as he was told.

Chris was pacing back and forth in the interview room while he waited for his lawyer to get there. He was completely humiliated. How could they not let him call his attorney until after that degradation? He had to get him out of here. He didn't ever want to go through that again.

At that moment, his attorney B. Carter Hamill finally showed up. "Hey Chris, how you doing?" He reached out his hand to him in greeting.

"I've been better." He shook his hand and sat down in the chair. "What took you so long to get here?"

"I do have other clients too, Mr. Hayden." I was in court when I got the call so I had to finish that before I could come here." He put his brief case on the table and pulled out a legal pad. "Now, tell me what is going on, I have read the file they have on you and this arrest, but I want to hear from you what is going on." He waited his pen poised over the paper.

"Well…"

Luke, Lorelai and Rory are all snuggled up in the blankets they laid out the night before. Rory was wrapped around her mother who in turn was wrapped around her. Luke woke up a little disoriented and sat up rubbing his eyes. He looked down at them and smiled. He was so glad Rory was home. He just hoped that she would be ok. She still had so much more to go through that he was sure they hadn't thought of yet.

He stood up and stretched and decided he would make her the biggest breakfast she had ever had. It would take her mind off of a few things before she had to deal with more.

He walked over to the downstairs bathroom and brushed his teeth and washed up then went into the kitchen to get started.

A little while later Lorelai stirred in her sleep and opened her eyes when she smelled fresh coffee brewing. She glanced over to where Luke had fallen asleep the night before and saw the empty space. She heard a sound in the kitchen and smiled; knowing he was making breakfast. Then she looked down at Rory, still asleep, snuggled up against her. She smiled and leaned down to place a kiss on her forehead.

She looked up in time to see Luke walking over to them. He squatted down and smiled. "Hey."

"Hey." She smiled at him. He leaned over and kissed her. "I made breakfast."

"Mmm, I can smell the wonderful smells from here." She looked down at Rory. "Let's see if she's hungry."

Luke nodded as she gently shook her awake. "Babe?" She shook her again. "Rory… wake up babe. Luke made breakfast." She ran her finger down the bridge of her nose.

Rory jerked awake and breathed a sigh of relief that it was just her mother. "Morning." She croaked as she pulled her pillow to her hugging it.

"Morning." Both Luke and Lorelai said at the same time.

Lorelai watched her a moment and had to stifle a giggle as she saw Rory sniffing the air with her eyes still closed.

She sat up and looked at Luke. "You made a really big breakfast, didn't you?"

Luke just smiled and nodded. "And don't forget the coffee." He said.

"Blasphemy! Who could ever forget the coffee?" Lorelai asked. "I haven't had your coffee in ages!" They both tossed back their blankets and scrambled to their feet with Luke's help and walked into the kitchen.

They stopped dead in their tracks. "Wow!. How many people are you feeding today?" The kitchen was filled with many different dishes. All different and all made just for them. Neither had ever seen this much food set out just for them before.

Lorelai laughed and hugged Luke. "This is incredible! 10 people could eat this and still have left-overs."

"Well, I thought that you guys would want a good breakfast and I couldn't decide what to make so…" He waved his arm around the kitchen. "So I made everything I could with what you had here."

Rory ran over and hugged him. "Thank you Luke. This wouldn't be a welcome home without your breakfast."

Luke hugged her back and smiled at Lorelai. "You're welcome." He still got a little embarrassed by affection. "And besides, if I know you're grandparents, they will be here before too long so they can have some too."

"No they said they would call first." Rory stopped as the door bell rang.

Luke just smiled and walked to the front door while the girls dug into their breakfast. He opened the door to see Emily and Richard standing on the porch. "Good morning, Luke." Emily said as she walked in. "I know we said we would call, but we really wanted to see Rory again and couldn't wait."

"Morning. Don't worry about it. I was just telling them you would be over and they didn't believe me until they heard the bell." Luke walked into the kitchen with them following behind him. "Come on in and have some breakfast."

"Oh no, we wouldn't want to put you out."

"Nonsense mom. " Lorelai's voice came chirping out to them. "Luke made enough food to feed an army."

They walked in and saw the amount of food and looked over at Luke. "No trouble at all." Luke said.

"So I see." Richard looked at the food and rubbed his hands together. "Since it is already made we shouldn't let it go to waste." He sat at the table and began to fill a plate.

"Here you go Emily." Luke pulled out a chair for her and set an empty plate in front of her. "Help yourself."

"Thank you, Luke." Emily sat in the offered chair and smiled.

Luke turned around with the coffee pot in his hand. "Coffee anyone?"

He had to laugh when all four of them held up their cups and said "I do!" at the same time. He made the rounds with the coffee and they all sat together and enjoyed a hearty breakfast.

Chris jerked awake in his cot. At first he was a little disoriented, but a moment later the reality of what had happened crashed down on him and he began to get angry. This was all her fault.

It was all her fault he had spent most of the night talking to an attorney; it was her fault he had to resort to this type of thing; it was her fault he had to take Rory; and it was her fault that he was now in jail. The more he thought the angrier he grew. Why had she done this to him? She belonged to him; they belonged together. She was supposed to be happy and love him and they were supposed to be a family.

He lay back down on the cot, his arms behind his head, while he waited for his arraignment. It was not to far away now. He just had to be patient and he could get out of here on bail. His mind kept running through different scenarios of what the arraignment would be like.

_The judge would call him up and his lawyer would argue for him and make the prosecutor look like an idiot for arresting him_. _He would let Chris out while he waited for his trial. He would look over at Lorelai and let her know that this was not over by a long shot with them._

He was jarred from his thoughts as his cell door opened.

"Oh my God, I feel like I'm gonna bust!" Rory said as she leaned back in her chair. "That was, without a doubt, the best breakfast I have ever had, Luke."

Luke smiled at her. He was glad he was able to do something to make her feel good for a while. "My pleasure Rory." He sat back and smiled as he sipped his tea.

"Yes, I must agree Luke." Richard said as he also sat back and placed his hands on his own belly. "That was exceptional."

"Thank you." He was a little embarrassed and stood up and started clearing away the dishes.

Rory stood up. "I'm going to take a shower; I'll be down in a bit and maybe we can go see Logan?"

"Sure babe. We can go after we all freshen up a bit." Lorelai told her as she got up from the table and hugged her. "We need to see how our other hero is doing, don't we?"

"That's right!" She smiled. She kissed her grandparents on the cheek and went over to Luke and hugged him tightly and whispered in his ear making him blush then ran upstairs to the bathroom.

Lorelai smiled at Luke's red tinted face and walked over to him putting her arm around his waist. "So what did she say that made you turn so red?" She asked as he snaked his arm around her waist.

"Nothing."

"Come on, Luke… tell me what she said." She smiled up at him an idea of what she said in her mind.

He looked at her a moment before he sighed, "She said I have always been her hero."

"Aw… that is so sweet." She started pinching his cheek.

"Shut up." He said as he turned away; still clearly embarrassed.

Richard and Emily watched this scene play out with amusement. They had no idea how humble a man Luke Danes really was. He was easily embarrassed but seemed to also be pleased that Rory felt that way about him.

Lorelai rubbed his back. "Are you embarrassed?"

"No… no just… ok maybe I am just a little." He said.

"Why? You shouldn't be. I have always known that you were her hero." She looked at him and he turned to look at her. "You've always been mine too." She finished quietly.

He turned and pulled her into his arms in a tight hug. Richard and Emily slipped out of the kitchen to give them some privacy and walked into the living room to wait for Rory.

"She seems to be doing better this morning." Emily said to Richard.

"Yes she does, doesn't she? I would have thought after the ordeal she went through, at the hands of her own father, that it would really… freak her out… I guess is the term Lorelai would use."

"Yes. I thought the same thing." She smiled up the stairway. "I am glad she is doing well though and so glad she is home safely where Christopher can not hurt her again."

"Yes." Richard said absent-mindedly. He had just had a thought that that might not be a true statement if Chris gets out on bail. He would have to talk to the prosecutor about that to see what options there were.

"Richard?" Emily had a hand on his arm. "Are you all right?"

He snapped out of his thoughts and smiled at Emily. "Yes… yes, I am fine Emily; just thinking about everything that has happened." He placed a hand over hers. "I hope it is finally over for her."

"Of course it is." Emily said.

"Well, that may not be strictly true." He looked at his wife. "She may have to testify in court which can be very hard."

"Oh… yes, I hadn't thought of that." Suddenly Emily was worried. Would she be able to handle it? Could she do it and come out unscathed?

"We will get her through it" She finally said to him. "We will be there every step of the way." She leaned against him and sighed, steeling herself for what was to come.

Luke and Lorelai pulled back from their hug to find that they were alone in the kitchen. He smiled when he saw that then leaned in to place a gentle kiss on her lips. She smiled too but pulled him closer to her and deepened the kiss.

After a moment they pulled away and looked into each other's eyes. "I love you, Luke."

"I love you too." He said as he pulled her into another kiss. He pulled back a moment. "Come on… let's get these dishes done and get ready to go to the hospital."

"Ok." She kissed him once more quickly and turned to get more dishes from the table. He smiled as he turned back to the sink, happy to have her back in his life.

They were almost done with the dishes when Richard and Emily walked back into the kitchen. "Well, Lorelai, I must say I am very glad to have Rory back home." He sat down at the table and watched while she and Luke worked.

"Yeah, me too." She said. "I just hope it gets easier for her soon."

"What do you mean?" Richard and Emily asked at the same time.

"Well, when we first got home we came into the house and when she got to her door way, she kind of had a flash back about what happened." She poured herself more coffee and offered some to her parents as she talked. "At first I thought it might be too soon for her to be back here, but she assured me she was alright but just didn't want to sleep in her room last night. So we had a carpet camp out ad we all slept in the living room." She smiled at the good time they had in front of the fireplace. "We had a fire going and were making 'smores."

They watched her as her smile fell.

"What is it, Lorelai?" Emily knew there was more.

"She had a nightmare last night." She looked up at her mother. "About what happened in the woods. About what could have happened if Luke, Logan and I hadn't shown up to help her." She wiped the tear that started to fall. "She was so scared; I was scared for her." She sat down and held her mug. "I just want her to be alright."

She looked up as she felt a hand on her shoulder and saw Luke standing there offering silent support to her. "We all want her to be alright, Lorelai. And she will be. It may just take a little time."

She reached up and put her hand over his and leaned against him. "I know. And we will all help as best we can, right?"

"Of course we will." Emily stated firmly and watched as all heads around the table nodded agreement.

A little while later, after everyone had had their shower they headed out to their cars. Richard and Emily decided to go to the arraignment for Chris that afternoon and left Rory to go to the hospital with Luke and Lorelai.

It was difficult getting out the door at first as all of their neighbors were there wanting to see Rory and tell her they were glad she was home safe. At first Rory was glad to see them all but the more time went by she was anxious just to go see Logan.

Sensing this Luke chased everyone off, making Lorelai and Rory laugh as Kirk ran away, afraid Luke would beat him up. They got in the car about 30 minutes later finally on their way to the hospital.

"Those people are kooks." Luke said as he drove them away in Lorelai's jeep.

"They just wanted to see Rory. They all love her too you know."

Luke grinned a little. "Yeah, I know but still. Don't they know to give someone space when needed?"

"Ok, you live where we live and you can still ask that question?" Lorelai asked.

"Good point." He heaved a sigh. "At least they have good judgment on who to love."

"I agree!" Lorelai smiled as Rory sat in the back and laughed.

They sat back and relaxed and talked about inconsequential things until they got to the hospital.

TBC…

16


	21. Chapter 21

allycat1186

Thanks! I have always thought he was too into her too. I can see him acting like this too if he got desperate enough. I also like how the characters are evolving too. I worried about it in the beginning and still do really. I want it to seem more like it is something that could actually happen rather then something forced. I am happy with how it is turning out and I hope I can keep it going in a realistic type of way. Thanks for reading and enjoy this next chapter!

7thgirlgal

Thank you so much! I hope that holds true through out. Let me know! Here is another one for you! Enjoy!

Curley-Q

Yeah I think so too. Emily has a lot of faults but I never doubted that she loved her daughter. I see her softening up in the face of something like this and gaining new understandings. I guess most people do in the face of one adversity or another.

Yes I love giving Chris his comeuppance and I have lots of plans for him (you could say I have been suddenly inspired)

Ah but I think all Luke fans feel the same way. I tell you that man is HOT too!! And I think it's about time R+E saw Luke for who he was not what they perceived him to be because he owns a diner and wears flannel.

And Rory and Logan will be meeting… well read below to see!

This story has suddenly gained new life so I think I am going to just keep going. There is so much more to tell and I can't seem to get the story out of my head just yet so there will be lots more for all of our characters.

Stranger than Friction

Thanks! I think that has to be one of the best reviews! LOL I am glad you are enjoying this and because I am inspired I have gotten this chapter ready a lot quicker then I expected so here's to you! Enjoy!

TheLongLostGilmoreGirl47

Thank you and here you go!

coffeeberry

Aww thanks! That means the world to me you have no idea! Here's another one. I hope it lives up to this review!

Elliotlvu

Oh boy wouldn't that be something! LOL I can see Luke pounding the s$ out of him. We will have to see how it plays out. Maybe… but who knows! Enjoy!

Luke-N-Lorelai

Thanks and keep reading to see all that's in store for him. I can't say much now without giving anything away, but I hope you like it! Enjoy!

Cblotnicky

Yes indeed. I have been inspired and now the plot bunnies are chasing me mercilessly. I just have to set them free!! LOL I have much more in store for everyone! I hope you like it!

Lorelai Gilmore Danes

Makes all kinds of scenarios run through your head doesn't it? Mine too. I hope you like the journey! I am getting back on track and had a good flow going so I got this chapter finished sooner then I expected. So here it is for you now.

LorLukealways

Yeah. RL got in the way and held me up but then the dust cleared and here I am again! LOL I hope you like this chapter and I promise to try to keep updating in a timely manner. Enjoy!

hollowgirl22

Thanks! And for being so patient here is another one!

JavaJunkieLL4Ever

Yeah I missed working on it for so long too. But I am glad I have time again. LOL the campout I can see as typical Lorelai. I just knew she would do something like that. Thanks so much!

froggy moe

Yay! LOL I know I have but I am getting better. Note by the new chapter! LOL Thanks and I hpe you like this one!

LukePlusLorelaiEqualsL O V ...

See I know all and see all! LOL I LOVED writing that scene too. I pictured it so clearly in my head and laughed for a full ten minutes before I even began writing it out. I think it is my favorite scene so far! Glad you liked it too!

_Ok. Here is the next chapter. I am getting it up now before I read it again and find more to change. LOL This story is taking on a life of it's own in my imagination and won't leave until I get it all out. I am also trying something different to section off this story. Every time I add more line breaks or characters to show the transition in scenes, they disappear when I post so I am going to try to put something that the story switches go the way I intend it to. That being said, I also have to say thank you very much for the reviews. I so appreciate it and am loving that so many people are enjoying this story. I am having a great time writing it and sometimes wonder where I get this stuff but it keeps on flowing out so I am going to keep going until I can't go anymore. ____ Please let me know what you think. I love feedback so I can improve and grow._

_As a reminder I own none of this I am only playing on the GG playground and am making no money._

_And now…_

Chapter 21

Logan lay in his hospital bed staring out the window. He was thinking about Rory and wondered how she was doing. He hated that he had to stay here. He wanted to be with her and help her as best he could. She was shaken up quite a bit last night. Her own father had done something so completely unforgivable. He was still stuck on that question. How could her father do that to her? He tried to come up with an answer that didn't seem bad but was failing miserably. He just couldn't imagine any sane man doing something like that to gain his ex's attention.

His thoughts turned to his own father. He didn't have a great relationship with him but he wasn't cruel enough to do something like this. No matter how he treated him he knew his father would never hurt him like that. And he would never be tied that tightly to a woman that he would do that. He would just move on to the next one as long as it didn't cost him any money.

He thought again of Rory and wondered again how she was. He was broken from his thoughts by a knock on the door. He turned to see Rory standing in the door way looking at him. He smiled as he saw her and she stepped into the room. "Hey Ace! How are you feeling?"

She leaned over him and kissed him. "Aren't I supposed to ask you that?" She sat down on the edge of the bed and took his hand.

"I'll tell you how I am if you tell me how are." He said with a cheeky grin on his face.

Rory laughed a little and leaned over to rest her head on his chest. His arms came up around her and began running them gently up and down her back. "I am ok."

"I'm not buying it Ace." He kissed the top of her head as he felt her stiffen against him. She didn't move away however.

"I will be ok." She bunched his hospital gown in her hands as she fought against the tears that threatened to fall. "I am trying not to think about it too much right now."

He tightened his arms around her. "It's ok, Ace. When you are ready to talk, I'll be here."

"Thanks, Logan." She looked up at him and kissed him before resting her head back down on his chest. After a moment she blew out a breath and raised her head to look at him. "So how are you feeling?"

He smiled at her, "I am feeling much better now that you're here."

"Good." She smiled. "I was worried about you."

"Me? I was worried about you." He played with a piece of her hair. "Are you really ok for now?"

Rory looked down and took his hand and laced her fingers through his and he could see a sadness in her eyes. "I will be ok, eventually. Not now, but eventually."

"Ok." He pulled her hand. "Hey." He whispered still pulling her gently. "Come here."

She smiled as she scooted up next to him on the bed and laid down next to him. He wrapped his arms around her and she rested her head on his chest and tried to block out the images racing through her mind.

"Where's your mom?" Logan just realized she hadn't come in with her.

"She wanted to give us some time alone. Her and Luke are walking around and if I know her, shopping in the hospital gift shop."

"That's nice." He smiled and smoothed back her hair from her forehead. "I'll take any time alone with you I can get." He kissed the top of her head.

"Me too." She smiled and snuggled into his embrace.

"So does that mean that Luke and Lorelai are back together?"

She smiled wider then she had in a while. "Yes! It's so great!." She played with his fingers as she talked. "They talked. Really talked and all is now well in Whoville… well, I know they have more to work out but I think the man things have been talked about but they will be fine." She seemed genuinely excited about that. "He called April today too and the four of us are going to get together and have a movie night at mom's house this weekend." Her smile faded slightly. "Luke is trying to get Anna to let April spend the night. I hope she lets her."

"Do you think she will?" He looked a little pensive but pressed on anyway. "I mean, she knows what happened right?"

"Well, if she objects then she can look at the list of things Luke is doing to make the house secure then she probably will." She chuckled at the memory of looking at the list Luke was making. It looked as if he was making it as impenetrable as Fort Knox. "You should've seen him and my grandpa; measuring and writing out their plans and ideas for security." She shook her head. "I think they bonded."

"So they approve of him now?" He remembered what Rory had told him about the relationship between Luke and her grandparents.

"Yeah, they do. It's almost weird." She got up and poured herself some water. "They're almost completely different people now."

"Well, he really proved himself worthy during your absence. At least from the short time I spent there."

"At least something good came out of this." She set her water down and climbed back in bed with him and laid her head on his shoulder. She hugged him but her face was blank as she tried once again to keep the images from racing through her mind about her captivity.

Logan just hugged her tightly and let out a relieved sigh that she was ok.

.oOo..oOo..oOo..oOo.

Luke and Lorelai watched Rory walk into Logan's room and turned back to walk down the hall and out into the hospital gardens. They wanted to give Rory and Logan some time to themselves and take a little for them too. They walked in the garden their arms around each other enjoying the sounds of the birds and the smells of the flowers around them.

He was still in awe that they were together again. As they walked he thought about everything Lorelai had gone through and realized how strong she really was. He hugged her closer to him as he thought about what Chris had done to her and he wanted to kill the bastard and keep Lorelai close to him so he could protect her. He just wanted to be near her all the time.

Lorelai felt Luke squeeze her shoulders and smiled as she moved closer to him as they walked; if that was possible. She felt the same as Luke. She always wanted him around. When they were in the same room they were always touching each other, reassuring them selves that they were there for each other. It just didn't feel right unless they were together.

Luke led her over to a bench under a canopy of flowers, facing a little pond where a family of ducks swam and sat down. She leaned against his shoulder and watched the peaceful scene play out before her. She took his hand in hers and played with his fingers. "You have nice hands."

"What?" He asked her a little amused.

"You have very nice hands." She repeated smiling.

He chuckled. "Uh… thanks." He laced his fingers with hers and brought her hand up to kiss it. "I like yours too."

"Luke?" She turned in his embrace to face him.

"Yeah?" He turned to look back at her.

"I love you."

Luke smiled at her. Her eyes shone with as she looked at him. "I love you too." He leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on her lips.

When he pulled back he saw a tear slide down her cheek but she was smiling.

He reached a hand up and wiped the tear away with the pad of his thumb. "Hey… you ok?"

"Yeah." Her voice came out in a whisper. She placed her hand over his. "I can honestly say that I have never been happier in my whole life. Except the day that Rory was born."

Luke smiled the biggest smile she had ever seen on him and pulled her into his arms. "I can honestly say… ditto." He kissed her head as she laughed.

She pulled back and kissed him. "Come on. Let's check out the gift shop and get something for Logan."

He just laughed and stood up, holding his hand out to her. He pulled her to her feet and kissed her once more. "Come on Crazy Lady." They wrapped their arms around each other and walked back into the hospital.

.oOo..oOo..oOo..oOo.

Rory and Logan lay quietly together in his hospital bed drifting in and out of sleep. They were jolted awake by the door opening and the doctor walking in the room.

"Hello Mr. Huntzberger, how are you feeling today?" He took the chart from the end of the bed and flipped it open.

Rory stood up when he came in and watched the conversation and quick exam he was given.

"Pretty good considering." He said as the doctor check his pupils.

He stood back putting his pen light back in his pocket. "Any headaches, dizziness, or double vision?"

"Nope."

"Good, good." He took his stethoscope out and listened to his heart and then took his pulse.

"Any idea when I can get out of here, Doc?" Logan was anxious to be at home with Rory. Whether it is his or hers.

"Well, I am waiting for a couple more test results," he said as he wrote in his chart then checked his watch. "Once those come in I will know better when you should be able to go home."

"How long do you think it will be?" Logan asked.

"I estimate about 1 pm or so and I should have the tests back."

"Ok. Thanks Doc."

The doctor nodded as he walked out of the room.

Rory smiled down at him. "I'm glad you're ok."

"Me too." He took her hand and smiled. "What are we gonna do now?"

Rory smiled and sat on the bed. Grabbing the remote she said. "Let's see what's on TV."

He laughed and watched her flip the channels. They turned their heads as they heard the door open again.

"Knock, knock!"

.oOo..oOo..oOo..oOo.

Luke and Lorelai walked down the hallway, looking back and forth at the room numbers on the wall, Luke looking more irritated because of the large gift bag he was carrying. "Did you have to buy all of this stuff?"

"Oh stop grumbling. He helped save my little girl so I am loading him up with presents." She looked to her left. "Ah! Here it is." She pushed open the door and walked in. "Knock, knock!"

"Hey Lorelai, Luke." He nodded at them.

"Hey Logan." Luke stuck out his hand in greeting.

"Ok, kid, you've had him all to yourself for a while; now it's time for more visitors." She smiled. "So how are you doing, Logan?" She asked as she set her purse down.

"Good. I'm just waiting for the rest of my test results to come in."

"Oh, did they say how long that might be?"

"A few more hours, unfortunately." Logan grumbled.

Lorelai just chuckled. "Well, in the meantime, we got you presents." She turned to Luke who handed over the gift bag.

"Wow!" He peaked inside the bag. "That's a lot of stuff." He laughed. He pulled out a blue bear that had 'It's a Boy' on a sign on its paw. He looked at Lorelai confused.

"Well, you're a boy. And it's cute!" She defended. Luke just chuckled behind her and watched as he pulled out more from the big bag on the bed in front of him.

"The cards and puzzle books are to stave off boredom," she spoke as he pulled items out of the bag.

"The blind fold is so you don't have to look at the hospital food when they make you eat it." She laughed when he pulled out a bag of candy. "That is so you can gorge yourself on candy so you won't be hungry for the hospital food they will make you eat."

Luke laughed. "Come on, you know you got all of that candy so you and Rory can eat it."

She laughed and playfully slapped his chest. "Well, that's why there is so much of it. We can't eat all of his candy now can we?" She fluttered her eyelashes at him as she smiled. "Besides, we can't exactly slow down our own consumption of it either." He just laughed and picked up the bag, dumping out the contents on the bed.

"Wow!" Logan said.

Rory just looked at the pile of candy on the bed then looked up at her mom with a puzzled look on her face. "Are you sure you got enough?"

Luke and Logan both turned to look at her with blank stares.

"What?" She shrugged. "I'm just saying..."

They burst out laughing. "What?" She asked again.

"Nothing, Ace. Nothing at all." He turned toward Lorelai. "Thanks a lot Lorelai." He picked up the puzzle books and looked at them. "But you could've just gotten magazines and newspapers."

She waved him off. "Everyone gets those for someone in the hospital. I dare to be different." She had a grin on her face as she flipped her hair over her shoulder.

Just then Richard and Emily walked in with a stack of magazines and newspapers. They all just looked at each other and laughed as Emily set them on the bedside table. "What's going on?" she asked as the laughter died down.

"Nothing mom." Lorelai said as she walked over and put her arm around her. "You just had to be there."

"Oh you." She waved at Lorelai a little grin playing at her lips. "How are you feeling Logan?"

"I feel much better Emily. And thank you for the reading material. I appreciate it."

"You are welcome." She sat in a chair to the side of the bed and they all stayed for a bit visiting.

.oOo..oOo..oOo..oOo.

Chris lay in his bunk, his arms behind his head, staring up at the ceiling. He was thoroughly humiliated. Why would they do a cavity search? Didn't they know who he was? Didn't they know that he was not to be treated this way? He is not some drug dealer who would smuggle things in to jail… that way. He was fuming over it and could not let it go. He never got the chance to talk to Carter about it when the met before, so when he came back he would get an earful about it. Now though, all he could do was sit and wonder how long he had to wait.

He heard keys rattling outside his cell door and sat up on his bunk to see what was going on. The guard opened the door and stepped inside. "Come on; your lawyer is here to see you."

"Finally." He said as he jumped up from the bunk and headed for the door.

The guard held up a hand to stop him from going any further. "Don't be in too much of a hurry. We still gotta put your jewelry on." He said holding up the handcuffs he had on previously. Chris sighed and turned around and put his arms behind his back.

Once he was secure he was led out of his cell to an interview room where Carter awaited him.

When the cuffs were removed he sat down across from his lawyer, "Well," he said. "What's going on?"

"Well, your arraignment will be at 3pm today, which is only a few hours from now so I want to get ready for that." Carter stated as he pulled out his notebooks. "Now…"

"Wait. I want to talk about this booking procedure I had to go through."

"What about it?" Carter asked him.

"I want to know why it was necessary for me to have a cavity search." He said with venom. "It was the most humiliating experience of my life." He got and started pacing. "It was not necessary for them to do that to me. I…" He stopped as Carter put up his hand.

"Hold on Chris." He put his hands together and rested them on the table. "First of all, we have more important things to worry about then a cavity search. It may not have been the best experience in the world but it is mandatory in the state of Connecticut, that when you are incarcerated you will have to submit to a cavity search. It is the law." He looked back down at the files in front of him. "Now, let's do what we can to get you out on bail, alright?"

Chris raised his hand conceding Carter's point. He was right. He could worry about the cavity search after he got out on bail. "Fine. What do we do to get me out?"

"Ok, we get up before the judge and the prosecutor will read the charges against you into the record. The judge will then ask how you plead." He opened a note book as he spoke. "All you say is 'Not Guilty'. Then I will argue bail. I will try to get you the lowest bail amount I can but I am afraid there is no way you will be released on your own recognizance."

Chris waved that off. "That's ok. Whatever the bail is I'll pay it gladly to get out of here."

"Good. Now when we're in court you do not say or do anything at all. The only time you say anything is to answer not guilty." He turned the page in his notebook. "The judge we are going before is very strict on procedure and will not tolerate any outbursts. She is also not very compassionate when it comes to criminals so don't expect a lot of TLC from her."

"Ok." He would do what he had to do to get out of there. After all he still had a lot left to do.

As his lawyer continued briefing him he only half listened to what he was saying. His mind was turning over ideas on what was to be done once he did get out. He would be able to deal with the humiliation he had gone through. The humiliation she had caused him. If she just did what was right none of this would have happened and he wouldn't have had to go through such an indignity. It was all her fault.

.oOo..oOo..oOo..oOo.

After a while of talking and laughing, trying to put aside the events of the previous days, the discussion turned to the arraignment that afternoon. While they discussed who should go, Lorelai kept her eye on Rory and noticed that she pulled inside herself a bit. She was trying to act normally to make everyone think that she was ok, but she couldn't fool her mother. Lorelai knew the turmoil going on behind those eyes. She needed to open up and talk about it. But she knew that she wouldn't do that with a lot of people around. She promised herself she would get some alone time with her and get her to talk.

Luke was watching both Lorelai and Rory. He could tell that they both had a lot on their minds and needed some mother daughter time. Neither one of them were ok yet; both needed to talk out what exactly was bothering them. They both had a lot of pain to work through and he decided then and there that he would be right there to help them out.

The doctor walked into the room to see them all huddled around Logan's bed talking and some of them gorging on candy. "Is this why many patients don't have appetites when it's meal time?" He asked laughing.

Lorelai turned around, her mouth full of candy. "Hi Doc!" She mumbled.

Luke just chuckled and shook his head.

"So what's the good word?" Logan asked. He appeared to be getting sleepy.

The doctor pulled out his pen light again and checked Logan's eyes. "Yes, I did. And I have to say that I do not like the slow progress you are making. There is still a danger of blood clots so I am keeping you for another day or so." He took his pulse and shook his head. "I am going to have to also ask your friends to leave for a while. I want you to get some rest," He took Logan's chart and made a note in it. "I am also ordering another round of antibiotics and something for the pain."

"Is he ok?" Rory asked, worry in her voice.

"Yes he'll be fine, but he does need to rest. You can come back for evening visiting hours if you like." He smiled at her. "I'll be back in a bit to check on you." He nodded to the others and walked out of the room.

Lorelai turned to Logan and squeezed his arm. "You get some rest and get better faster, ok."

Emily smiled at him. "Yes, you need to rest." She stood up as the nurse came in with his medication.

"Get some rest my boy. We will see you later." Richard said as he turned to the door. Luke shook his hand and nodded at him and turned to walk out with Lorelai and leave Rory alone with him for a moment to say good-bye.

Rory stood and watched them file out of the room before turning to Logan. She leaned down and kissed him. "Get some rest." She leaned back as the nurse stepped in and gave him the medication and left after he took it.

"I don't think I will be back tonight. I kind of want to stay at home… you know… at night." She didn't want him to think she was abandoning him but she couldn't go there at night.

"It's ok, Ace. I don't want you out at night anyway. Not with everything going on right now." He reached over and took her hand. "I'll see you tomorrow, ok?"

"What are you gonna do tonight?"

"I am going to call my parents and let them know what is going on and see what happens from there, I guess." He definitely wasn't looking forward to that prospect. "I think I will wait until I wake up to call them though."

"Good plan." She said and smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow." She kissed him again and walked out of the room.

.oOo..oOo..oOo..oOo.

When Rory walked out of the hospital room she saw her grandparents talking with her mom and Luke. She walked over and they all turned to her. "How you holding up kid?" Lorelai asked, draping an arm over her shoulders.

"I'm good." She answered leaning into her mother's side. She absently reached for Luke's hand. Somehow she felt safer when she held his hand. She knew he was there and that he would not let anything happen to her. She trusted him completely.

"Well, Rory, your grandfather and I are going to go meet with the prosecutor and go to the arraignment. Will you be alright?" Emily was concerned about her. She didn't seem her confident self and hoped she would get back what she seems to have lost once this is all over.

"Yeah, grandma I'll be ok." She looked around at her family. "It's still all so fresh right now. I think I am on auto-pilot at the moment."

"Understandable." Richard piped in. He leaned over and kissed Rory on the cheek. "We will let you know what happens. That is, if you want to know."

"Yes." She hugged her grandparents. "Thank you so much for being here."

Emily touched her cheek gently with the back of her hand. "We always will be Rory."

"Come along Emily. We still have much to do today." He smiled at Rory and shook Luke's hand and kissed his daughter on the cheek, much to her surprise.

"We'll call you later Lorelai." Her mother stated and walked down the hall with Richard.

The weight of all the emotions was pressing down on them so she decided to lighten up the mood. "Who were those people and what have they done with my parents?"

Rory laughed and Luke chuckled. "Mom!"

"What? They have never been that nice. And my dad has never kissed me." She thought back. "At least not since I was really little."

She said this jokingly but Luke suddenly got an image of a cold household when she was growing up and never wanted her to feel like that again. He looked over at Rory and saw the same look on Rory's face. Then he watched as she seemed to turn into herself again. It was almost as if she didn't want to deal with bad thoughts or feelings.

Lorelai saw the change too and held her daughter tighter. "You ok?"

Rory didn't answer her right away so Lorelai chattered on as usual. "I know I have asked you that like a million times I just… I want you to be ok."

Rory looked at her mom. "I will be mom." She forced a smile but Lorelai saw through it.

"Come on kid… it's me you're talking to." She grew more concerned. "You need to talk about it, Rory. If you let it eat you up inside then you are giving it control over you." She turned to face her directly and took her by the shoulders. "Take your control back Rory." She tipped her chin up to look at her. "You can do that."

"I don't know…" she stopped as the words wouldn't come out of her mouth. Her chin trembled slightly.

"There is nothing you can say that would make me love you any less then I do right now. You can only make me love you more." Rory stepped into an embrace with her mother and let her sooth her a little. Luke watched this unfold before him and was amazed once again at just what a wonderful mother Lorelai was. He knew that Rory would be ok eventually as long as Lorelai was there.

"Later, please mom?" She pulled back and wiped her eyes. "I just want to be ok for a little while and not think about it."

"Just for a little while?" Rory nodded. "Ok. Just for a little while though." Then her face lit up. "I have the best idea!"

Luke stepped forward. "And what would that be?" He asked as Rory took his hand again.

"How about, we get some take out like Chinese or pizza or something, a few light-hearted comedies and have a patented Gilmore house movie night?" She smiled at her daughter hoping this is exactly what she needed right now to feel normal again.

Rory smiled at her. "Sounds like the best idea I have heard all day."

"Yeah, it does sound good. I do want to go to the hardware store though too." He looked at them as they turned questioning gazes on him. "You know… to get what I need to secure the house better." He shuffled his feet briefly as he spoke.

"Ok then. We will drop you off at your truck and we'll get the provisions and you go the hardware store and we'll meet you back at home." She smiled at him and took his other hand in hers.

"Good idea." Rory piped in. She didn't want him to go anywhere but she did understand why he needed to do it.

They walked out of the hospital and headed to the Jeep. After they dropped him off at his truck they headed out for their much needed supplies.

TBC…

14


	22. Chapter 22

Anonymous  


Thanks! Sorry it took so long. It is a wonderful story but I don't want to neglect any details. Thanks for being so patient. Here is the next one to enjoy!

Brookleighgilmore

Thanks! LOL I loved writing that one. I didn't want it graphic or anything but I wanted the weight of the situation and the humor for the readers who are not Chris fans to get a good laugh.

froggy moe

Ah thank you SO much! You are right. I love reviews. I hope you continue to like this story!

Braelyn Rae

Wow! I love doing that. You find a story you like and read it from start to finish. That is the best. Thanks so much! I am glad you like it. And thanks for that. I try to visualize the characters and see how they would react if were written that way on the show and try to portray them that way. I am happy they are coming to life the way they are.

As for the judge there are many cases that are really bas that they grant bail on. A lot of them make it very high bail in the hope they can't come up with it. I hope you like the way I played that scene out. I have been agonizing on just how to write it so I would love any feedback on it I can get. Read on McDuff! LOL

Michelle  


Sorry it took me this long. I have a few complicated parts I wanted to make sure I did a credible job on. I hope you like this one and please let me know what you think!

Elliotlvu

Yeah I know what you mean. But in typical Luke fashion he is waiting. (he did wait 8 yrs for Lorelai after all) so it will be interesting to see what happens in the next few chapters. I hope you like it!

Lorelai Gilmore Danes

LOL That is my favorite part too. I had the picture of the whole procedure in my head and could not stop laughing to get it down. It took forever to write because I laughed and made changes etc. Thanks for that. I am glad that scene was a good one!

Logan is ok. He is not my favorite character but he isn't bad either. I know that at this time they were very much together, so it will be interesting to see how this situation affects their relationship. Man now I have even more ideas! LOL

Well, I would love for them to have a say in that but unfortunately, the arraignments I have seen before are only bail hearings and pleas as well as setting up trial dates. I hope I made it an interesting scene. I would love to hear what you think about it!

allycat1186

Thanks… I really see her doing something like that. He is the obvious choice to fulfill that role since he had done it for years already. He is the one I would turn to for comfort. (LOL I have got to STOP daydreaming about that man! I lose my train of thought LOL)

LOL I loved that part too. Rory and Lorelai can really put it away and wanted some comic relief about it. I am glad it fit in as well as it did. I hope you like this next one as much!

7thgirlgal

Thanks! As for the number underneath… I have no clue what that is. It's not there when I post it but shows up there. Also my formatting is off too so it makes the scenes run together which makes me crazy so I am working on a way to fix that. Well, I do hope you continue to enjoy the chapters and please kepp letting me know how you like or dislike etc it.

lilienprinzessin

Me too. I have seen a lot of fics deal with certain topics where the parents would absolutely be involved but haven't been. It would not seem very likely if they were not here and it gives me a real chance to try to portray multiple characters and see just how well or not I can ddo it. So far I have been happy with how they have come across.

I think I did. LOL we will see how it all works out! Thanks so much and enjoy!!

LukePlusLorelaiEqualsL O V ...

Thanks! We will have to wait and see. The arraignment will not be too exciting but will help lay some ground work for later in the story. Hope you like this!

PuppiesRCute

Yeah I got excited that I had two ready and couldn't help myself! LOL

Chapter 20 Thanks! Yeah I know what you mean. He seems to be the type that mommy and daddy would buy out of trouble and all that (Like Paris Hilton thought I guess ;) ) But it is nice to see a judge not caring about status but the act they are accused of. Hope you like this chapter too!

Chapter 21 Thanks! Yeah Rory is a tender hearted person but does have a strength about her like her mother, but she also has some of Chris in her so it will be interesting to see how the combination of the two personalities will work melded together in her. It should prove rather interesting. Time will tell I suppose! Enjoy the next one!

Curley-Q

Not a problem and thank you for the review! Logan will be part of this story but not sure at the moment how big a part he will play. This story is taking on a life of it's own so I have to make sure that I do not neglect any of the characters I have in here. I love the laugh at their expense too. It helps show the growing relationship between them. It was fun to write and the funny thing is I actually wrote this scene before the finale and then something similar played out there too between them (the joke about tube top and spandex? Emily smiled at it rather then criticized it. I loved that that happened the way it did in the finale.)

As for Logan telling his parents, not sure about that, but we will see if the story plays out that way. Chris and bail. It's a tough one but I do hope you like how I wrote that scene. Let me know what you think when you read it. I would love the feedback on it.

LorLukealways

Thanks! I love the lovey stuff but I am trying not to cause cavities because I can really et sappy now and then LOL but I also love that Rory feels safe with Luke. He did save her after all and I can see the victim in any circumstance want to be by the person who saved her because they are where it is safe. Did that make sense? LOL As for the rest read on and enjoy!

penguinopus

Thanks! I am evil that way. I always hated that Chris always came back and hurt her or ruined good things for her etc. I love it when he gets his comeuppance. It makes me very happy (Waffle is very happy!) LOL

Luke-N-Lorelai

Hmmm, well, I guess we will have to wait and see. Muwahhhha LOL read on for more to the story! I hope you like it too!

hollowgirl22

Well, the only way to answer that question is to read below! Enjoy! And thanks for reading!

_I can not tell you all how much it means to me that you all like the story so far. I hope you continue to do so. Thank you so much for all the wonderful reviews and I hope to hear more from you soon! Enjoy this next one! It is a bit long so I hope you can stay awake! LOL_

**Chapter 22**

****

.oOo..oOo..oOo..oOo.

Richard and Emily walked into the court house and went to the desk to ask about seeing the prosecutor in their case. They were directed to a meeting room where the prosecutor was already speaking to someone. They signed in on the clipboard hanging on the door and sat down to wait.

Richard watched the prosecutor through the window and sized her up. She seemed young but competent enough by what he saw of her. She was immersed in the paperwork before her going over details. She had a serious look on her face as she discussed something with the other man. After a few more moments they stood up and exited the office. She took the clipboard off the door and crossed something off. "Richard and Emily Gilmore." She called out and looked over to them.

Richard stood and extended a hand to Emily, helping her up from the chair. "Yes, that' us." He stepped forward and extended his hand.

She shook hands with them both as she ushered them into the small room. "It's good to meet you. My name is Teri Clark and I am the ADA handling the prosecution of this case." She stepped around to her seat and gestured to a couple of chairs. "Sit please."

"I just wanted to thank you for coming down today. I know it's very soon after everything that happened but it is important to get this going quickly. We want to make sure that Rory and Lorelai are safe." She folded her hands together on the desk top. "I like to involve the victim and their family in the case as much as possible. I have found that it helps in the healing process somewhat. It helps them take back some control and gain confidence."

"Yes, that's why we are here. We want to help in any way we can to make sure he is put away for a very long time." Richard replied. "His family has a knack for buying his way out of trouble." He said pointedly, wanting to see her reaction.

"Well, no chance of that happening here. I can't be bought." She smiled at them and opened a folder in front of her. "Now, I know you must have questions about what's going to happen today, so let's hear them and I will do what I can to answer them all."

"Well, what we really want to know first and foremost is, will Christopher get out on bail?" Richard

"Yes, he will probably get bail, but it won't be cheap." She answered.

"But why?" Emily piped in. "Why would he get bail? After what he did. To his own daughter no less." Richard took hold of her hand and gently squeezed it. Emily looked down and placed her other hand over his and blew out a breath. "I apologize. It's not your fault I'm sure." She tried to keep herself calm but was finding it increasingly difficult.

"Please don't apologize Mrs. Gilmore. I understand how you feel…" Teri said. "Unfortunately the only cases that get no bail are murder cases. Thankfully this is not that type of case."

"Well, is there anything we can do to protect Lorelai and Rory while he is out on bail?" He had suspected bail would be a distinct possibility so he wasn't completely surprised, but that did little to make him feel better.

"Yes. One thing I am doing today is filing a motion to have a protective order put in place. This will make it easier to put him back in jail if he goes anywhere near them."

"So how exactly does this protect them?" Emily asked. "I mean how is it going to keep him from doing anything else?"

"Physically it won't do anything to protect them but the minute they even see him within a distance of 100 yards then he is in violation and will be remanded into custody until the conclusion of his trial."

"You'll forgive me but that doesn't seem like enough." Richard said.

"I do understand how you feel. I would like nothing more then to keep him in jail for the rest of his life, but Mr. Hayden has rights as well…"

"Why should we be concerned with his rights?" Emily snapped. "He had no problem ignoring his daughter's rights or Lorelai's…"

"Mrs. Gilmore, believe me, I understand. But in order to make sure he stays in jail I have to follow the law and respect his rights. If I violate his rights in any way then he will be out on appeal and we will have to try the case all over again. Now I am sure you don't want to go through all of this more then once right?" Teri explained calmly.

"Yes you're right." She admitted grudgingly. "I'm obviously not happy about it, but I understand."

"Good. Now the goal here is to have him put away for a very long time." She leaned back in her chair. "And if I do my job right that will be the end result." She looked at the two people before her. "Don't let my good nature fool you. I have no tolerance for things like this and will put him away."

"Well then," Richard said slapping his hands on his knees. "We'll just have to help you do your job correctly."

"Good." She smiled and leaned back over the file in front of her. "I will need to have a meeting with Luke, Lorelai and Rory soon… oh and Logan. I want to make sure I have all the facts of the case and can use that knowledge to help put him away."

"Ok. We'll talk to them and call you to make an appointment." Richard said.

"Good." She handed Richard her card. "Now we can talk a bit about what you know about the case."

"Ok." Richard sat back and waited for the questions to begin.

.oOo..oOo..oOo..oOo.

Lorelai and Rory went all over town gathering up supplies for the movie night. It took longer then expected because wherever they stopped, people were coming up and welcoming Rory back, asking what had happened, making her shrink back into her mother.

Most were sympathetic to what they knew had happened and didn't want to dredge up too many memories for her. Taylor and Kirk were not that tactful. They kept going on about hoodlums in today's society and how they need to be dealt with to the fullest extent of the law; and was she going to testify against the monster who had taken her; making Rory so uncomfortable that Lorelai finally told them to drop it and walked away pulling Rory along with her.

After that they went to pick up dinner and went straight back to the house. By the time they got there they saw Luke's truck pulling up behind them making Rory feel better immediately. He got out and grabbed some bags from his truck. "I thought you two would've been here by now."

"Yeah, so did I, but I clearly underestimated the love this town has for Rory." She said warily as she grabbed her own bags. "Everyone wanted to say hi and Kirk and Taylor were going on and on about what happened and how they were glad she was back, yadda, yadda, yadda."

Luke looked over at Rory as they walked towards the house. "You ok Rory?'

"Yeah, they meant well, but…" She shook her head a moment. "I wish they knew about the need for space though."

"Don't I know it." Luke said as Lorelai unlocked the door to the house. Instantly Rory seemed to tense up but she made herself walk into the house.

"What's wrong Rory?" Lorelai didn't miss the change in her and stayed on the direct approach. "You ok?"

"Yeah, it's just…" She ran her hand over her face. "It's nothing, forget it."

"No, no, no. Let's not forget it." Lorelai grabbed her arm and stopped her. "Tell me what your feeling babe."

A tear ran down her face. "I feel like such a baby."

"Why?" Lorelai asked as Luke stepped forward offering his silent support.

"It's just… we were gone and now…" She wiped at the tears on her cheeks. "What if someone came in while we were gone and is hiding here?"

Luke and Lorelai looked at each other a moment. "Well, would it make you feel better if Luke checked out the house before we go any further?"

Rory looked down but then nodded.

"Why don't you two sit on the porch swing and I'll check it out ok?" Luke said gently pushing them back towards the door.

Rory turned to look at him a moment before wrapping her arms around him and hugging him tight. "Thank you Luke." She whispered.

"Anything for you Rory." He wiped her tears away and kissed her forehead and walked them out to the porch. Lorelai put her arms around her shoulders and sat down with her on the swing. Rory put her head on her mother's shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"Oh hon, whatever for?" She stroked her head as she spoke. "You don't ever have to be sorry babe. You went through something no one should ever have to go through and you came out wonderfully." She kissed her forehead. "Now you have to get yourself back. And it's ok if you are a little afraid right now. You're allowed after all that happened."

Rory hugged her mom tighter around her waist. "Luke and I will always be here to help you, hon. With whatever you need."

Luke had come out on the porch and heard her say this. He walked over and stooped down in front of them. "She's absolutely right, Rory. We will both always be here for you."

Rory reached a hand forward and took his in hers. She didn't know what to say, she was so overwhelmed with emotions.

"The house is secure Rory. I checked every room, behind every door and under every bed." He smiled at her. "What do you say we go inside?"

Rory nodded and Luke took both of them by the hand and pulled them up and led them into the house.

After they had gone into the house, Lorelai put away what they had bought while Luke and Rory went around the house and installed everything he had purchased. Rory felt a lot better watching them be put in and getting a lesson on how everything worked as they went.

Luke for his part was glad to show Rory how all the gadgets worked. He could see she was feeling a little better but still had a long way to go. He only hoped that she would be able to move on with her life and continue on as before. He didn't want any of this to change who she is deep down. She loved school and was working so hard to become a reporter. He would move heaven and earth if that's what it took to get Rory back to where she was.

He thought about Lorelai also. She was so strong. She was there for her daughter and would do anything for her while completely ignoring her own issues and pain, putting her daughter first. He admired that about her. He also loved how she included him in everything to do with Rory. He immediately thought back to how he had kept her at arms length when he found about April and winced. How could he have done that? If anything he should have done what he could to include her just like she was doing with him. She placed her trust in him and he would not let her down again.

"Luke?" Rory had seen him wince and thought he was thinking about what had happened to her and was maybe seeing things differently. Her voice shook as she said his name.

He heard the tremor in her voice and turned to look at her, seeing her face crumpled as she worried about something. "What's the matter Rory?"

"I was just… gonna ask you the same thing." He looked at her puzzled and she continued slowly. "I mean, I saw you wince. Were you… were you thinking about what happened to me?" She sniffed. "Are you disappointed in me…"

"No!" Luke cut in then softened his voice when she jumped a little. "No, I was thinking about my mistakes." She looked at him waiting for him to go on. "Mistakes I made with your mom."

"Oh." Rory said quietly.

Luke rubbed a hand over his face. "It's just… I was thinking about how you and your mom let me in and trust me like you do." He looked down at his hands. "And about how I pushed her away when I found out about April. I feel bad about all that."

"Yeah, I know." Rory understood how he felt. She had watched them for months and couldn't understand why he would push her away like he did.

"I just wish I could go back and do it all over again, you know? Do it the right way this time." He shook his head. "I know that's not possible but… all I can say is I am glad that your mom forgave me for that."

Rory smiled at that. "I'm glad you both forgave each other."

"Me too." Luke said and smiled. He reached over and squeezed her hand.

"Luke?" Rory asked. "Would you mind if I went to see what mom is up to? You know see if she needs help setting things up for movie night?"

"You go ahead. We are already done with the downstairs and I just have to finish this up and we will be all done anyway." He gestured to the window in front of him.

"Ok. Thanks Luke." She kissed him on the cheek and ran off down the stairs to her mother.

Luke smiled and touched his cheek, still amazed at how much these women seemed to love him; almost as much as he loved them. He turned to the window to finish his work.

.oOo..oOo..oOo..oOo.

Christopher sat in the holding cell waiting to be brought into court. He hated this whole process and didn't feel he should be here. He really didn't do anything wrong. He couldn't understand why Lorelai had not wanted him. She came to him in despair because Luke had hurt her. He had refused her and she felt alone and needed the comfort of a man to see her through.

Now he lay back on an uncomfortable bunk with his arms behind his head while he waited. He heard the sound of the door opening and watched as another man was brought in to the cell dressed in a similar orange jumpsuit. He just laid his head back down and stared up at the ceiling. How much longer was he going to have to sit here?

"Hey." The other man said to get Chris' attention.

"Hey." Chris said back. He looked over at the man and took in how he looked. He looked tough and… well like he thought a criminal would look like. He turned his head back trying to think about what he could do to get out of here.

He heard the other man take a seat on the other bunk in the cell and sat back to wait. He could hear him bouncing a bit before getting back up from the bunk. He stood by Christopher and looked down at him.

Chris looked up as the other man stared down at him. "What?" He asked a little unnerved about being stared at.

"I think I like this bunk better." He said still staring at him.

"I don't think you will." Chris said and turned away.

"I said, I think I like this bunk better, so get off it… now." The man said and edge to his voice.

Chris sat up on the bunk. "I am already here so just lie on the other bunk."

The man looked at him. "Do you know who I am?"

"No I have no idea. Who are you?" He was already tired of this game.

"I am the man who wants to lay on that bunk," he pointed to where Chris was. "Or I am gonna show you what life is really like in the pen."

Chris just stared at him a moment and then laid back on the bunk.

"The other guy simply took hold of him by the arm and physically pulled him out of the bunk and onto the floor. He then stepped over him and sat down on the bunk. "Told you I wanted this bunk."

Chris stood up. "What the hell is your problem? Why is it necessary to pull me out of a bunk when there is another one right there?"

"Because I wanted it." He shrugged and went to lay down.

"Hey, I had that bunk and I want it back right now." He made to move towards the bunk but the other man got up and stood up until his face was less then an inch away from Chris. "Or you'll do what?"

Chris just stared back at the guy for a few moments and said nothing.

"That's what I thought." He sat back down on the bunk and watched Christopher sit down on the other. "As long as you do what your told, we won't have a problem. Got it?"

Chris just looked at him a moment. "I don't know what you are talking about but I don't take orders. I am usually the one giving them." Chris said.

"Is that right?" He said. "So why you in here?"

"I am in here for kidnapping and attempted murder." Chris told him.

He looked over at him with a new found interest. "Well, I am in here for murder. Well, this time it's murder." He looked at Chris with a smile on his face. "I murdered my cell mate because he wouldn't listen to me."

Chris swallowed hard and turned away to lay back on the other bunk. "Great." He mumbled to himself. Just then he heard the cell door open and a guard came in.

"Hayden." He watched as he got up from the bunk. "Come on. You lawyer is here to see you."

"Great." He got up and walked by the other man without looking at him.

.oOo..oOo..oOo..oOo.

Rory came down the stairs and didn't immediately see her mother. She knew in the back of her mind that everything was ok, but she moved quietly through the house as she looked for her. She walked into the kitchen just as Lorelai was coming out and the two nearly collided. "Oh geez!" Lorelai gasped out as she watched Rory jump back and yelp with a hand over her heart.

"You ok babe?" Lorelai went over to her.

"Yeah I'm ok." She tried to calm her breathing before going on. "I just came down to see if you needed help setting up the candy table for movie night."

"Absolutely!" Lorelai smiled. "Is Luke done installing all the gadgets?" She moved back to the table and grabbed the bag of candy from the table and handed it to Rory then took out the Chinese food and set it out on the table.

"Uh yeah. He said he would be down in a little bit." She said as she turned to the living room.

Lorelai watched as she walked out of the room a small frown on her face. She wondered if she was just jumpy because she was walking around alone on the house or because she had startled her. She grabbed the Chinese food and followed her into the living room. As she walked in she watched as Rory worked, mechanically laying out the candy on the table. She looked like she was blinking back tears.

Lorelai walked over to the table and put the dinner on one end and gently put her hand on Rory's shoulder. "Are you sure you're ok babe?"

Rory just nodded not looking at her mother. Lorelai didn't hesitate. She took hold of her other shoulder and turned her around, pulling her into her arms. She felt her stiffen for a moment but then she melted against her and let out her tears.

Luke heard Rory yelp and came down the stairs in time to see Lorelai pull her into a hug. His heart went out to her. Her father's betrayal had crushed her spirit and he knew she needed to get it back. And Lorelai would be the person to help her get it back. He wanted to give her time to talk to her mother alone so he went back upstairs.

Lorelai held her close and stroked her hair trying to comfort her as much as she could. She knew she would have to let it all out to be able to get past it. She steered her towards the couch and sat her down. "Ok sweets. Talk to me."

Rory just sat there and looked at her hands not saying anything. After a few moments of silence Lorelai took a pillow and laid it in her lap. Rory immediately laid her head down in the familiar position. While she stroked her hair she said again. "Tell mommy what's wrong babe." She spoke gently trying to coax her into speech as she watched a myriad of emotions ran across her face.

"I'm afraid, mommy." Rory squeaked out. "I'm afraid that da… that he'll get out and come after us again." She slid her hand under the pillow and gripped her mother's leg. "I'm afraid he's going to hurt Logan or… especially you."

"Oh babe, don't worry about me." She continued stroking her hair. "He won't come here if he gets out on bail honey. I don't think he would be that stupid." She hoped the tone of her voice was convincing.

"How do you know that?" She asked.

"I don't babe, but that's why Luke is securing the house. He wants to make sure we'll be safe here."

Rory sat up quickly. "Oh my God Luke!"

"What honey? What about Luke?" She turned to look at her more closely. "Do you want me to get him?"

"No!" She stopped at her mother's look. "I mean I want him safe too! Dad hates him. He'll come after him!" Panic rose in her throat at the thought. "Mom we can't let him hurt Luke!" She began to hyperventilate as she entered a full blown panic attack.

"Rory!" She could hear her mother's voice but all she could see was the picture in her mind of her dad trying to kill Luke and tears flowed freely down her face.

Lorelai had a firm grip on her shoulders and kept calling her name but couldn't seem to break through the panic she was in. "Luke!" She called out in a panic of her own.

A moment later she could hear Luke running down the stairs to see what was going on. He ran over and kneeled down in front of them. "What's wrong?"

Lorelai looked at him, pain contorting her face. "She was telling me she was afraid Chris would get out and come after us and then freaked out because she knows that he hates you and would come after you… and then she went into this panic attack. I can't snap her out of it."

While she told him what was going on, Luke reached for her shoulders and called out to her. "Rory… come on Rory. I'm right here and I'm ok." He took her face in his hands and made her make eye contact with him. "Rory!"

_Flash_

Rory's mind raced as she watched the vision of her father coming after Luke. He had a crow bar in his hands brandishing it at Luke after breaking into the house. Luke was throwing everything he could get his hands on at Chris as he backed away looking for another weapon. She watched as he fell over on ottoman and backed away on his back. She heard him call her name just as her dad swung the crowbar. She heard him yell her name again.

_End Flash_

Rory snapped out of it and blinked to clear her vision and saw Luke in front of her a worried expression on his face. Fresh tears flowed as she threw her arms around his neck and hung on for dear life. She couldn't let anything happen to him.

Luke just held her tightly as she trembled and stroked her back gently trying to calm her down. He pulled back and looked at her. "It's ok, Rory." He pushed hair out of her face. "I'm here. We're all ok. We will all be ok, ok?"

She nodded as she wiped her tears with the back of her hand.

Lorelai watched as Luke brought Rory out of the state she had been in and cried as she launched herself at Luke. She watched him comfort her and smiled as she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around the both of them.

.oOo..oOo..oOo..oOo.

Emily and Richard found seats in the court room to watch the proceedings. Neither had ever been to court except when Rory was arrested for stealing a yacht. This seemed much different then when they went to court for that. This was a large courtroom not a small room where the judges meet the lawyers. This seemed like the kind of courtroom seen on TV. They both looked around them and wondered what they should expect.

Not long after, the bailiff called the court to order and they stood while the judge came in. She seemed like a capable woman but both had their doubts about how the situation would play out before her. They sat and watched case after case brought before her and their doubts about how she would handle Christopher's case waned. She seemed to be a very strict judge and granted bail in most cases but put it so far out of reach on some that they knew they would not be able to come up with it to get out. They just hoped that she would do the same to Christopher.

They snapped to attention when they heard Chris' case called and sat up straighter in their seats then before. Chris was brought out in an orange jumpsuit and sat at the defendants table. Emily squeezed Richard's hand in hers. He shook his lawyers hand then sat down to quietly confer with him for a moment before the judge began the proceedings.

A moment later, they watched with rapt attention as ADA Clark stood along with Chris and his lawyer to face the judge.

.oOo..oOo..oOo..oOo.

Once Rory had calmed down she sat as close as she could to Luke on the couch. Not wanting to be too far away from him. She was calmer but knew that her father would come after him. She had to make sure that he would be ok. She couldn't let anything happen to him. Then she turned to look at her mother. She knew without a doubt that Chris would be back for her mother. He had gone to great lengths to get her attention and she knew this would not stop that from happening again.

She had to make sure they were all safe. That meant that she had to be strong like her mother was. She had to get past this and move on so she could do what she needed to do to make sure she was safe. She blew out a breath and sat up a little as she reached for a piece of candy on the table. She was aware of them both watching her as she ate but waited until she was ready to talk.

Turning to her mother she said. "I'm sorry mom."

"What for sweets?" She raised a hand and smoothed her hair back from her forehead.

"For my freak out." She turned to Luke. "I'm really sorry."

"Hey enough of that. You have absolutely nothing to be sorry about." He turned to her and took her shoulder in his hands. "You have been through a lot. It's understandable that you would feel… the way you do." He pulled her towards him and she laid her head on his shoulder. "I just want you to worry about getting through this and being ok, ok? That's what you have to worry about. I will make sure we are all safe, ok?"

She wrapped her arms around him and nodded her head. "Ok."

"Good. Now I think we have a few movies to watch?" He looked up at Lorelai and saw her smiling at them.

"Yes we do!" She said getting up. "Ok, we have three choices for our viewing pleasure." She picked up the movies and fanned them out like cards. "Kentucky Fried Movie, Willie Wonka and Monty Python's Holy Grail."

Luke chuckled at the selection. If ever you wanted something funny to lighten a mood those choices would definitely do it. He looked over at Rory who smiled happily at the selection.

"Kentucky Fried Movie!" She chirped happily as Lorelai turned to the DVD player and loaded in the movie.

Turning back to the couch she gestured to the table in front of them. "Now I have the table all set up with dinner then junk food galore!"

Luke looked at the table for the first time and shook his head. "Why in the hell did you buy all this crap?" He was amazed at the amount of food and junk laid out on the table. How he could have not noticed he didn't know.

Lorelai gasped dramatically and placed a hand over her heart. "Luke I am shocked and appalled that you have to even ask such a question." She winked at Rory. "This is the exact amount of food we" she gestured back and forth between her and Rory. "Need for a movie night!"

"Yeah ok but what about your guest?" Luke tried to keep a smile from forming on his lips.

"Oh that." She waved it off. "I think I have carrot sticks on the table somewhere." She pulled back her hair and started looking on the table. "Aha!" She cried out triumphantly as she tossed aside a bag of mini chocolate bars and help up a bag of carrot sticks and celery.

Luke laughed at this. "Well, thanks for including me." He grabbed the bags from her and set them closer to him.

"So come on! Let's get this show on the road!" Lorelai grabbed the remote and sat down.

"I'll get us some drinks." Luke said and got up from the couch. "Oh and when April comes for movie night, no corrupting her with all that junk." He pointed to the table as he walked out of the room.

Lorelai turned to Rory. "Do you think we should tell him we already got her her very own bag of candy?"

"Nah…" Rory said happily as she munched away at some of the Chinese food they had.

"Yeah, you're right. Why tell him now and give him an opportunity to get rid of it, right?" Lorelai took a bite of an egg roll.

"Right." Rory answered.

Luke came back in with water for all of them. "Right what?" he asked as he sat down on the couch and handed out the water.

"Oh nothing, just waiting to start the movie until you come back in the room." Lorelai took another bite and watched him.

"Well, here I am so start it up." He took hold of one of the cartons from the table and sat back to eat as he watched TV with his girls.

.oOo..oOo..oOo..oOo.

The judge turned pages in the file before her before looking up to the arguing attorneys in the case. "The defendant, Christopher Hayden, is hereby charged with kidnapping, two counts of attempted murder, rape and conspiracy to kidnap." She looked up at Chris. "How do you plead Mr. Hayden?"

Chris stood up straight, "Not guilty." He stated confidently.

The judge nodded and made a note then turned to the prosecutor. "Ms. Clark do you have any argument on bail?"

Teri stood tall. "Yes I do your honor. I ask that the defendant be remanded into custody for the duration of this trial."

"Your honor, my client is an upstanding member of the community and is ready to fight these baseless charges against him. He should not be denied bail."

"Your honor," Teri broke is before the judge could respond. "Mr. Hayden kidnapped his own daughter, tried to kill two other men who tried to help her and attacked his daughter's mother. He is a wealthy man who resides in Boston and has the resources to go anywhere in the world he wants. We contend that he is a flight risk." She put her legal pad on the table before her. "We ask again that no bail be granted."

"Your honor, my client is completely innocent. He is not a flight risk; as I said before he is ready to face these charges and clear his name. He is also willing to stay here in Connecticut for the duration of the trial."

"Your honor, the defendant has stalked his ex-girlfriend for a period of time and went after someone he was supposed to care for and take care of to get attention from this woman. The state feels he is unstable enough to resume his activities were he to be released on bail."

"Your honor, my client is not guilty of these charges and will agree not to have any contact what-so-ever with Ms. Gilmore or his daughter pending the outcome of the trial where he _will_ be vindicated." Carter continued after looking at his notes. "We also contend that it was not my client who perpetrated this course of action described in the indictment, but a… Mr. Luke Danes. He was the one who started this whole action to get back at my client for winning the heart of Lorelai Gilmore."

"That would be Rory Gilmore's mother correct?" The judge asked.

"Yes your honor. We contend that Mr. Danes is the man responsible for these actions and that we will see evidence of this during the trial."

"Your honor…" Teri was not ready to give up yet. "This man kidnapped his own _daughter_ in an attempt to gain Lorelai's attention and be a hero and try to win her back. Now he is accusing an innocent man of exactly what he has done. He was caught and identified by his daughter as the man responsible for this crime and we fully intend on going for the maximum penalty in this case. This is a most despicable crime that needs to be taken seriously and that means no bail. Now…" Teri tried to continue but the judge raised a hand to stop her.

"Yes, Ms. Clark I know." She flipped through the papers on the desk before her. "Mr. Hayden is entitled to bail in this case. But he will have to surrender his passport immediately and stay in the state to answer these charges." She looked up at Chris. "Mr. Hayden, I hope you understand the seriousness of these charges. If you fail to surrender your travel documents or leave the state without the courts express permission, your bail will be immediately revoked and you will be taken into custody pending the outcome of this trial. Do you understand?"

"Yes I do your honor."

"Good. Bail is set at 2 million dollars." She began writing in the file before her again.

"Am I to assume, Ms. Clark that you will want an order of protection for both Ms. Gilmore's?" The judge asked.

"Yes your honor." She handed the bailiff the paperwork on the protective orders which he in turn handed to the judge. "Also, for Mr. Danes."

"So ordered." She made a note in the file.

"A preliminary hearing will be set 2 weeks from today at 9:00 am." She banged her gavel on the desk and got up. "All rise" could be heard by the bailiff as she left the court room.

Chris turned to Carter and shook his hand. "Thanks for getting me out of here, Carter."

"You're welcome. It's going to take a bit to process the bail but I will get you checked in to a nearby hotel while you get that taken care of. Do you need a ride there?"

"Yeah I will. My car is impounded so I have no wheels right now."

Carter wrote in his notebook about the car. "I'll also get your car freed up for you. You will have to pay impound fees but they aren't bad."

"No problem." Chris turned as a guard grabbed his arm and began pulling him towards the door he had come through. "Hey, where are we going? I got bail."

"Yes and we have to get that processed and you can change out of the lovely jumper you have into your own clothes before you go." The guard replied flatly while still pulling Chris with him.

Chris relaxed at that. "Ok, ok."

"Your lawyer will be waiting for you when you're done." He opened the door and stood aside waiting for Chris to walk through.

Chris turned to look over to the prosecutor's table and saw her speaking to Richard and Emily. His confidence waned a bit as he realized that he may have over estimated himself where they were concerned. He saw Emily look over at him and a hard expression came over her face.

At that moment he knew he no longer had Emily on his side. He walked through the door the guard held open and thought about what was happening. He knew he could win them back over. He just had to figure out a way to do it.

TBC…


	23. Chapter 23

froggy moe

LOL Thanks! You are right I do love reviews! And here is another new chapter for you! Hope you like this one!

Lorelai Gilmore Danes

Yes he is an $ but what can you do? He is the type to do anything he can to make things bad for those around him. I am sure the judge (most judges probably) are sure that he will probably do something but hope that they are not stupid enough to do anything. I hope that made sense. I am going along with the not violating his rights thing and trying to make it as real as it could possibly be without any actual knowledge of the legal system. I hope it all plays out the way I want it to and seem reasonable at the same time. And Luke will have to deal with what Chris alleges so it will be interesting to see how that one plays out too! Thanks for reading and I hope you like how it all continues! Enjoy this next one!

Me too!

hollowgirl22

Thanks and I will try! This one was done a bit sooner so here you go and enjoy!

CharmedGurlie

Yeah I have always thought they were a good father/daughter type relationship. I could always see that Luke cared for Rory and so it was easy to see that he would be the way he is in this story for her. Chris will have lots more to deal with I am sure but I don't want to give away my plans for him just yet (they might alter as the story goes so…) but please keep reading and we will find out what happens together! Thanks so much!

vakan

Not sure yet what will happen but I imagine it will be hard to go through (no idea yet but we will see) but Luke is my favorite character and so you can see I am a little biased where he is concerned but we will have to both wait to see what happens (I haven't wrote that yet so anything is possible!)

PuppiesRCute

Thanks! I am glad I never felt first hand how that felt to be betrayed by someone that close to me but I have a vivid imagination and can only guess what it might do to her so I am trying to write it as real as it could possibly be for someone to have gone through that. But Rory does have a strength about her and it will be interesting to see how it all works out in the end. Thanks so much for reading and I hope you like this next chapter too!

LukePlusLorelaiEqualsL O V ...

Thanks! LOL Yeah but I still have plans for Chris so never fear. The excitement may come back soon. We'll just have to see how it all plays out!

apalusa-light

Not sure there either but thanks so much! I love hearing about what readers think of my story. If it's good I know I am not doing a bad job and if it's bad I can tell where I need improvement so please do review. I am always looking for ways to improve my writing.

Very well said I must say. And I agree whole-heartedly with your assessment. I have always seen Chris in this way and have never been able to come up with a good way to put it but I think you did that wonderfully. I hope you like this next one too. It will start heating up very soon I think. Enjoy!

Thank you so much! That means the world to me, you have no idea!

Curley-Q

Yes I agree but with the money he has it is feasible he would get bail and be able to pay it. Sucks that so many like this in our criminal justice system can get bail but what can you do…

Wow! Thanks! I guess I'm like crack! LOL j/k I think you will like how it all eventually plays out for them all. But for now here is a new tidbit to keep it going for you.

Luke-N-Lorelai

Thanks! And well, I guess read on to see what happens next!

7thgirlgal

Well, Happy Birthday! I am so glad I could help make a little part of your day! I hope you like this one too! Thanks!

Elliotlvu

Yeah it sucks in today's society but that usually is the case (bail granted I mean) it keeps the lines open on what can happen next though. Luke has always been there for them and I just can't see him not being there now. He is a man of good character and strength and I can see his character doing all of this. Thanks for reading and I hope you like this one as well!

Braelyn Rae

Yeah delusional huh? What a putz! LOL But for the rest you will have to wait and see! Sorry!

Yeah I think so too. I am working on her as well right now so we will have to see how that turns out. 

Well, I have to say read on for answers to this question…

LOL never apologize for lengthy reviews I love them. It makes me feel good that someone like yourself takes the time out to let me know how they like/dislike anything I write. Once I get done with this story I can start reading FF again full boar and catch up on my own reviews. I have skimmed some really great ones that I have saved to go back and read later

softballgurl09

Wow! Thanks! I appreciate that very much! I am glad you like the story! I love this story line also. I have never been a big fan of Chris' and would never allow a man to be like he was to Lorelai to me but that doesn't make as good a story ;) Anyway, I am glad you like it and here is another one to whet your appetite!

LorLukealways

Thanks! I love to hear that! I hope this one does the same for you too! Yeah poor Rory, but I want to let her go through all this but let her also gain a strength from it. I hope I am or will be coming across that way with her. I don't want her to be a complete freak about what happened but I also don't want her hiding from it. Did that make sense? Sorry I am in ramble mode today! Thanks again and as for Chris' cell mate. It might not be the last time we see him. Not sure yet though. Cross your fingers!

JavaJunkieLL4Ever

Thanks! I was hoping I wouldn't be overly sappy about it. I thought that would be a way I would react to the situation so… I do tend to get that way sometimes and it can be hard to bring myself back and make the characters a little more like they are in GG then in my own mind. Too easy to fall into that trap (I have before and I am sure I will again )

TrueLovex3LL

Hehe me too. I had to have a bit of fun with that one. Who knows maybe he will have more of that in his future. (runs hand over crystal ball) still too murky right now.

**Chapter 23**

Richard and Emily stood and walked over to ADA Clark and shook her hand thanking her for what she had done so far. Emily could feel someone watching her and turned to see who it was; her face hardened as she made eye contact with Christopher before he was led away by the bailiff. Her attention turned back to the prosecutor and she shook her hand also. "Thank you Ms. Clark."

"You are welcome Mrs. Gilmore. But it's not over yet." She began packing note books in her brief case.

"What's next?" Richard asked.

"Well, it will be a bit before bail can be confirmed and processed so he will be out by early evening tonight." She saw the look of worry pass over Emily's face. "Don't worry Mrs. Gilmore, we'll get him and put him away for a long time."

"Well, yes that's all well and good but how long will all of this take? Will it be a long drawn out affair?" She hoped it would be over swiftly so Rory and Lorelai could move on with their lives. In peace. "What if he goes after them again?"

"Emily…" Richard began before he was cut off.

"If he is as obsessed with Lorelai as I think he is then he _will_ go after her." She turned to Richard. "We can't let him hurt them anymore."

Richard put his arm around her in an attempt to calm her down. "We won't Emily. I promise you that."

"Why don't the two of you go home and get some rest. I'll call Lorelai and let her know what happened today." She turned and picked up her brief case.

"No, no. We'll tell her. We promised we would keep her posted." Richard assured her.

She nodded at them and gave them both a few of her business cards. "Give them this and have her call me tomorrow morning to set up that appointment so we can get this case rolling."

"Thank you again Ms. Clark." Emily smiled at her. She rather liked this woman.

"Oh you're welcome, Mrs. Gilmore." She turned and shook Richard's hand again. "I'll be in touch." She turned and walked out of the court room.

Richard tightened his grip around Emily's shoulders. "Come along Emily. Let's go home."

.oOo..oOo..oOo..oOo.

Chris sat impatiently in the holding cell waiting for the transfer of funds to be verified and his release paperwork to be processed. It had been two hours since his arraignment ended and he just wanted out of here. With each moment that passed, while he sits and waits, his anger grows. He needs to do something to work it off but knows it would be really stupid to do anything here. He would love to do something to the little criminal who took his bunk earlier but he must have been taken to court or back to his normal cell.

He was mad as hell at Lorelai too. It didn't have to come down to this, but she just couldn't seem to get her mind together. She is so brainwashed into thinking that she doesn't need him, that she runs. She has always run from relationships. He knows it's because of him and the hold he has over her. She keeps trying to escape it but she can't. That's why she ended her engagement to Max and that's why she had run to him when her and Luke were having trouble. She didn't think she needed him, but she does. He would remind her of that. He would make her see. Luke was nothing and he didn't belong in their world.

Luke. His thoughts turned to the man he hated more then anything else in the world. He was the reason. He spent way too much time with his girls. He had manipulated them over the years until finally he convinced Lorelai that she belonged with Luke; not him. That only Luke was the right man for her. He has to make her see what a mistake that would be. He had to talk to her and make her understand.

But he knows he is not allowed within 100 yards of Lorelai or Rory; or even Luke for that matter. This angers him even more. Who do they think they were telling him he can't see his girls if he wants to? They belonged to him and soon they _would_ know it.

Chris pounded his fist on his knee and stood up to go to the cell door and look out. Lorelai believed they weren't right for each other. He had to show her she was wrong. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the bars of the holding cell. Luke had just manipulated her and lied to her. He had to make her see that. She was his! They had known each other almost their whole lives; they had a daughter together; she belonged to him now and forever.

He would make sure that Luke was out of the picture too. He had to figure a way to shift all the blame on to Luke. If he could paint the picture that he had done all of this to get Lorelai back because she had slept with Chris and ended things with him, then he could make it look like he did it and she would hate him. She would see that he was no good for her. And if that didn't work then he could just get rid of him entirely. He smiled at that thought. Maybe that would be even better. He would never have to worry about him again.

"Chris Hayden." He was shaken out of his reverie by a guard calling him.

"Yeah?" He loosened his grip on the bars and blew out a calming breath.

"Your up." He waited for Chris to walk out and took him to a room where he could change back into his regular clothes. When he came out he was led to another desk where he was given an envelope with his personal items and signed for it then was escorted out to the waiting room where his lawyer stood. He smiled. Now he could figure out what to do next.

.oOo..oOo..oOo..oOo.

Luke, Lorelai and Rory sat on the couch laughing as the first movie came to an end. Lorelai got up, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes to change the movie. "Oh man that was funny. I haven't seen that movie in so long."

"Yeah it was." Luke chuckled. "It's been years for me too."

Lorelai turned to him surprised.

"What?" he said at her look. "I have seen movies before you know."

"Imagine that." She chuckled at him as she put the next movie in the player.

The phone rang and Luke got up to answer it. It had been immediately agreed upon that Luke would answer any phone calls that came in so he could screen them. He never had a problem hanging up on someone so the girls wouldn't have to deal with anything even remotely stressful.

"Hello." He said grumpily. He hated that people couldn't seem to leave them alone. His face softened as he recognized the voice on the other end. "Oh hey."

He listened as the caller on the other end of the phone spoke and his face hardened. "Why would…?"

"Yeah ok." He listened again and noticed the girls watching him. "Do you want to talk to her?"

At that statement Lorelai knew who it was on the phone. She just continued to watch Luke as the conversation went on. "Ok." He scratched the back of his neck. "I don't know."

"No I'll talk to her and we'll call you back." Rory's ears perked up at that.

"Ok bye." He hung up and turned to Lorelai and Rory who were sitting up and staring at him, waiting to hear what was said on the phone.

"Well, Chris made bail." He said simply.

"What? Why?" Lorelai burst out. "Why would they give him bail?" She was immediately angry. "What, is his money going to get him off again?"

Luke took her firmly by the shoulders and looked at her. "Lorelai." Out of the corner of his eye he could see Rory on the couch a blank look on her face. "Calm down." He waited until she started to relax before he loosened his grip.

"Come sit down." He led her to the couch where Rory sat. When she saw her face she immediately went from angry to concerned and took hold of her daughter pulling her into a comforting hug.

"I'm sorry babe. I didn't mean to freak you out." She rubbed her shoulder.

"Oh mom, you didn't." She laid her head on her shoulder. "I kind of expected this. I just hoped it wouldn't happen."

Luke came around and sat on the coffee table in front of them. "What do you mean, you expected it?"

She looked down at her hands. "Well, I had an article to write about the criminal justice system last year and did a lot of research. I found out that they usually only deny bail in murder cases." She looked at her mom. "That's why I expected him to get bail."

Lorelai couldn't help but smile. "Oh babe. Some things will never change. Thank God." She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear as she smiled at her. "You have no idea how comforting it is to hear you talk about a paper you did.

Luke smiled at them. "Your grandma said that if you would feel better you can stay at their house tonight."

Rory shook her head. "No. There's nowhere else I'd fell safer then here."

"Are you sure babe?" She was terrified that he would do something else and just wanted her safe. "They have security in their cul-de-sac."

"No. If he's going to do something he'll find a way no matter where we are." She stopped a realization coming to her. "What I'm more worried about is you."

Lorelai was shocked. "Me? Why are you worried about me?"

"Mom…" She started but Lorelai interrupted.

"What…?"

Rory put her hand up to stop her. "Just hold on… I've been thinking and I think that, yes, Luke and I are in danger but you are more so than us. He took me to get to you. I have been thinking about it a lot and I realized that no matter what happened with me that he would still come after you. He is obsessed with you. He never really wanted me. I was just a way to get to you." She said sadly as she realized that her father couldn't possibly love her. If he did he wouldn't have done what he did. She moved unconsciously closer to Luke. "I just think that you are the one that is in more danger then me."

"Honey," She took her face in her hands. "I am fine. I will be fine." She felt bad that Rory was worried about her. "He isn't stupid enough to do anything now. He knows it will only make things worse for him."

Luke understood the concern Rory had. He felt exactly the same way. He knew Chris wasn't stupid but he was delusional and that could over-ride what his mind was telling him was wrong. He agreed 100 percent with what she was saying. He decided to keep these thoughts to himself for now though. No need to worry them both with his concerns. He would just be watchful of what went on. "And hey," He interrupted them. "Your grandma also said that we have an order of protection against him."

"What does that mean?" Lorelai asked.

"It means that if he comes within 100 yards of any of us that he is in violation of the order and will be taken back to jail for the rest of the time until his trial is over." Luke explained.

"Good." She turned to Rory. "See? He knows he can't come near us or he's back in jail. And if I know Christopher he will not want that to happen."

Rory smiled slightly, feeling a little better about that.

"Hey, do you want to sleep in here again tonight?" Lorelai asked. She wondered how long she would want to do that. But Rory surprised her again.

"No." She hesitated a moment, making sure of her decision. "I want to sleep in my room." At her mother's look she continued. "It's just… Luke installed all those gadgets and changed the locks and all that…" She stopped and took a deep breath. "I want to get back to normal. I want to not be afraid of sleeping in my bed." She looked up at her mother. "I want to be strong enough to handle all of this."

Lorelai's face softened at that and she hugged her. When she pulled back she smoothed Rory's hair back from her face. "You are babe. You are so strong." She kissed her cheek. "And I am so proud of you."

She smiled at that. "Thanks mom." She did her best to quell her fears. "I just want my life back." She held her hands. "And I don't want to be afraid all the time. I mean, how am I gonna be a reporter if I can't be alone for any length of time or be near a situation that's dangerous and report about it if I freeze up all the time?"

"We understand Rory. You don't have to explain." Luke said as he reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. "And we are very glad that you feel that way."

"Thanks Luke." She yawned a bit then looked up at the menu on the TV screen from the DVD. "So how about we watch Willie and eat candy until our stomach's ache?" She arched her eyebrows and her mother laughed.

"Sound like a plan babe." She got up to grab the remote.

"Well, you guys can eat the candy but please no stomach aches." Luke groaned as he thought about both of them feeling bad from over indulgence. "I don't mind taking care of you but I prefer not to deal with candy over dose."

The girls just laughed at him and sat back with their candy to watch their movie.

.oOo..oOo..oOo..oOo.

It was 10pm when Chris walked out of the hotel. He drew in a long breath of fresh air. He was glad to be out of Jail. His lawyer was something else. He had booked him a room at the hotel and had gotten his car out of impound and brought him to his hotel. They sat in his room for a couple of hours going over everything for the case. He knew it would be a battle but he would prevail. His family had never let him go to jail before and they wouldn't let him go now. The money he had would see to that.

He was still angry at being in jail in the first place. He didn't belong there. He belonged with Lorelai. He thought about that situation and knew he had to do something.

He thought about the judge and the protective order she placed against him. He couldn't go near them but he could watch them and they would never know he was there. He had mastered that skill over the years and decided to put it to good use. He walked out to his car as he thought about what he could do to make her understand.

His anger continued to grow and fester. Every time he thought about what she had done and said he just got angrier. And the angrier he got the more he wanted to hurt her.

She did this to him. She came to him and now she rejects him. She wanted him. She needed him. He had felt so good when he was with her. But then she accuses him of rape! At this thought he clenches his fists until his knuckles turn deadly white.

And then he saw her. A dark haired beauty that looked just like Lorelai. Lorelai… he had to punish her. He looked at her again. She was walking down the street wearing her short skirt and tempting him. He had to teach her a lesson. She couldn't reject him anymore. She had to know what would happen if she told lies about him. He turned his gaze watching the woman walk away and he soon found himself following her.

.oOo..oOo..oOo..oOo.

Later that night as Luke and Lorelai cleaned up the house, she thought back on when Rory went to bed. She had been so tired that she just kissed them both good night and stumbled to her room. Lorelai smiled sadly about what she had gone through. She was so strong to be able to make herself face up to all of this and take her life back.

She walked over to her bedroom door and opened it a bit to peek inside. Rory was sound asleep wrapped up tightly in her comforter. She smiled again at the sight. When she was a kid she used to do that after she had a bad dream to be able to feel safe and go back to sleep. She said it always made her feel like she was wrapped in an impenetrable cocoon and since nothing could get inside one of those she felt safe. It was funny how you fell back on childhood routines to make yourself feel safe again. It didn't matter how old you were the habits of days gone by held a comfort all their own.

She just hoped that she could be as strong as her daughter was being. She needed to get her own life back too. And this time she would not let it go. She jumped a bit as she felt hands on her shoulders. "You ok?" Luke whispered in her ear. He gently rubbed his hands over her shoulders to try to ease the tension she had knotted up in them.

Lorelai just sighed and leaned back against his chest and pulled his arms around her. "I will be." She turned her head and looked at him and reached up to place a hand on his cheek. She could see nothing but love in his eyes. "I will be." She leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on his lips and wrapped his arms around her tighter and let him hold her. And in a moment of clarity, she realized that this was where she felt the safest. Right here in Luke's arms. She snuggled closer into him and smiled when he tightened his grip on her.

Luke knew she needed to talk about what had happened. He even needed to talk about it in some small way. She could remember some parts of what Chris had done to her but others were brought forward with those pictures. She had only a glimpse of them but Luke had gotten to see quite a bit in his short look. He couldn't believe someone could do something like that to someone. The only thing he was sure of was that if Chris somehow got off, his days were numbered.

"Hey." He whispered to her not wanting to wake Rory. "Let's go sit and talk."

Lorelai tensed up briefly. She wasn't in any hurry to talk but knew she needed to. If she wanted to take her _own_ life back then this was the way to start doing that. She had to face what had happened to her. So she forced her muscles to relax and nodded slightly; reaching over she pulled Rory's door shut and let him lead her towards the couch. He waited for her to sit but she just shook her head and pushed him to sit down on the couch. When he looked up at her he smiled as she sat down on his lap. She needed him to hold her while she talked. She didn't think she would be able to get it out if she didn't have him there holding her.

He knew she needed to be near him for this but also realized that he needed this too. He needed to be able to hold her and comfort her as well as not letting her run away from it. It was time to deal with it. He ran his hand soothingly up and down her back. "Talk to me about that night Lorelai." He spoke in a gentle voice to help coax her into talking. Then he sat still as she readjusted herself in his arms and waited until she was ready.

Lorelai felt uneasy so she laid her head on his shoulder not looking at him. She couldn't take seeing his face when she spoke of what happened. What if he thought less of her? Would he stay and help her through this? Would he hate her? She let out a big sigh before she began. "I guess the big thing on my mind is why would he be obsessed with me? What's so special about me?" She ran a hand down his arm and grabbed his hand. "I know we had a kid but that's the only thing we have in common, well, except for rich domineering parents."

"Lorelai…" Luke said as he squeezed her hand.

"I know. They are leaps and bounds better then his parents. They love Rory…"

"And you." Luke cut in. He didn't want her to lose what had just started between them. They were, for once, being completely supportive of her and he was glad that it had come about. He just wish it hadn't taken something like this to make it happen.

"Yeah and me." He could feel her smiling on his shoulder. "His parents won't even acknowledge Rory. They even suggested…" She was getting angry as she spoke. "I mean how could anyone not want that beautiful little girl in there?" She suddenly got up and started pacing. "She is amazing. She's funny, smart, beautiful and kind; and so strong. They should be proud to have her for a grandchild." She had her fists clenched. "And to blame her and me for ruining Chris' life because I got pregnant. How did I ruin his life? How did I ruin it for him at Princeton? Because people knew he had a kid? What, so that immediately disqualified him for a college education? He was the one who took off and didn't go to college. He was the one that got into all kinds of trouble that daddy got him out of."

Luke watched her pace and rant. He was glad they had shut Rory's door. Hopefully she wouldn't hear all this and wake up.

"He didn't have to give up Princeton. Why would he have to give it up? We didn't get married. It's not like he was in her life and we got married or anything. He was supposed to marry me, according to my father's plan, and then work with him in insurance. But once I said no, then all he had to do was follow the plan his parents had for him. His life didn't have to change. All he had to do was go to college and get a good job and send child support. But he didn't do any of those things. Instead he became a wretch who stalks me and girls who look like me and rapes them…" Her voice caught in her throat as her emotions finally caught up with her and she broke down again. She placed a hand over her mouth and the tears rolled rapidly down her face. She couldn't believe he had done that to her. Why would he do that? Did he hate her that much that all he wanted to do was hurt her?

Luke was up in an instant wrapping his arms around her and holding her tight. He rubbed her back soothingly as she cried into his shoulder while fisting his shirt in her hands. "Why did he have to do that? Why?"

Luke remained silent not having an answer for her and just squeezed his eyes shut and let his own tears fall. She was finally letting it all out. She would be able to move on and face what would be coming next. She still had a long way to go but she could do it. And he would be right there with her.

Luke put his arm under her legs and picked her up and sat back down on the couch cradling her to him and let her cry it out of her system. Neither saw the figure in the shadows watching them. The figure who had watched the scene play out but could not hear the words being said. Whose anger grew as he watched this man hold his woman; the woman who belonged to him and only him. And he would have her back.

He continued to watch late into the night as they talked and cried and hugged; leaving when it looked like conversation for the night was over. He thought about what he would do next as he drove back to his hotel. He had worked off some of his anger but found it just boiled up inside of him again as he watched him hold her in his arms. That should be me. I should be the one to hold her. I should be the one to make her feel better. Then a smile crossed his face. He would make her feel better alright. He chuckled. He would make her feel wonderful again; after she learned her lesson that is. He drove on with a smile on his face; a plan forming in his mind.

TBC…

11


	24. Chapter 24

justawritier  
ch 23

Thanks! I was really happy with this one. I wanted the creepy factor to be just so and I think it worked! LOL Glad you got a chance to catch up!

justawritier  
ch 22

Thanks! That he is…

snickers  
ch 22

Well, this is a LL story, but Logan is in there. He just isn't a main focus. His part will probably get bigger as the story dictates but I make no promises. I am glad you like that story and I can say you will see more of Logan as the story goes and I hope you like it. Thanks for the review!

Curley-Q

Yes security is a wonderful thing. But if it comes too quickly well… I will just have to show you! ;) I am really looking forward myself to how my mind lets it unfold. Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more!

justawritier  
ch 21

Thanks. I wrote and rewrote that scene and was a little worried that I got it all wrong. Glad to see it's not too bad! 

justawritier  
ch 20

Thanks!

Stranger than Friction

Thanks I am glad you like it! Here's even more!

gilmoregirlsfan13  


Thanks! I am working on it. I may have to cut back hours at work so if I do then I will have lots more time to write. So glad you like it!

LukePlusLorelaiEqualsL O V ...

Me too! On both counts!  
Again me too! LOL I am writing away like a fiend so I hope it all comes together well. Thanks for reading!

Braelyn Rae

Wow! Thanks! Aw shucks now I'm blushing! LOL I actually do watch a lot of Law and order, cop shows, true crime on history channel and of course CSI and forensic files etc. It gives me the ideas for how to write certain arts of the story along with one hell of an imagination! LOL. Creepy is a good choice for Chris. I wanted to show him losing his grip on reality and he really came together for me in this chapter. He was disturbingly easy to write like this. I am the type of person who tries to crawl into people's psyches and see what makes them tick for good or ill and hopefully am able to convey it on paper or well FF.N anyways LOL

Well, we will hear more about her later. Can't give it all away! ;) Good thought though. I can lock him away forever!!!! LOL We will have to see what goes on next.

Yeah everyone needs to let out emotions now and then. Even Lorelai who never cries in front of people. But I have always thought she would if something had ever happened to Rory and having done that it is easier for her to let all the rest out. And of course it can be no better then having big strong Luke to comfort her. Big sigh. Wish I had him now. He could come in handy that way. LOL

Thanks so much I am glad you liked it. I can only hope I can do this next one justice. I will have to let you decide and let me know! Enjoy!

coffeeberry

Wow! Thanks. Talk about a wonderful compliment!

vakan

Oh no don't get me wrong. Luke is also my favorite character but it does not give him a free pass. If the story dictates he must be hurt etc than that is what will be. I can never sacrifice the story just because I love one of the characters. Don't worry no one is coming out of this unscathed. I just hope you like the rest. Please keep reading and let me know what you think! I would love to hear it! Thanks for reading!

TheLongLostGilmoreGirl47

LOL Thanks!

Lorelai Gilmore Danes

Thanks! As for the woman you will have to wait and see. But I promise you it will be a good story no matter what!

Elliotlvu

Yeah well that's because he's stupid. LOL Here is more for you to enjoy!! Thanks!

Anonymous  


Wow! Thanks so much I tell you review like this one really make my day. Thanks so much and here is more to read! Enjoy!

LorLukealways

Alas it is true. Chris is amazingly stupid. Interesting…motion detectors… well we will have to wait and see.

Luke-N-Lorelai

Sorry no promises. But I hope you like how it all turns out when all is said and done. Thanks for reading!

TrueLovex3LL

LOL I like the way you think. I'm gonna keep my eye on you! LOL I wish you could too. It would make it really interesting!

hollowgirl22

Thanks! Nice to know its like crack. LOL And well.. I can't answer the other question. You will find out more soon though. Enjoy!

7thgirlgal  


Thanks! I can't answer that one for you but I would be willing to help out now and then beta reading for you. Let me know. Logan is still there but don't forget he is in the hospital. Read below for more on him.

The Mrs.Ventimiglia

Thank you! Well, I am glad to scare you. I was going for that so I am glad it was successful! There is more to come too so I hope you enjoy it too! Sorry no hints or I will give it away… Yeah Rory really got the short end didn't she? Good thing Luke is there for her so it isn't a total waste.

froggy moe

Thanks! I am not sure originally it was intended to be about 18 chapters and that is shot to hell now. LOL I got inspired to on it goes. Not sure how many chapters but I will keep you posted when I have a clearer number

_Thanks so much for all the reviews and for reading my story. I appreciate it very much and have really enjoyed the feedback. So here is another chapter for all of you to read and enjoy and I should have the next chapter out sooner. I seem to be averaging a month between them so I want to try to get that down to at least two weeks (not guarantees but I will try) Until then though enjoy this one and as always let me know what you think. I can only improve which is my goal. Thanks!_

Chapter 24

Luke stirred as the morning light filtered in through the small opening in the curtains, shining in his face. He opened his eyes and looked around, momentarily disoriented, seeing Lorelai's bedroom walls and the memories of the night before flooded into his consciousness. Lorelai had finally let everything out. She had told him all that she remembered from that terrible night a few months ago. It turned out she remembered quite a lot, some of it feeling like a dream she had said.

He turned to look at her and could see the lingering puffiness around her eyes and thanked God that she didn't seem to remember the worst of what had happened. What he had seen in the pictures Mike and Dan got from Chris' apartment were even worse then what she had told him about. In some of them she was clearly unconscious and unable to stop him from doing what he wanted to her.

His own eyes felt heavy from the emotional roller coaster they rode together the night before. He put his hand over his eyes and squeezed them shut trying to banish the images and the pain he felt for her from his mind. He couldn't let his own emotions get the better of him right now. Lorelai needed his strength and his love and he intended on giving that to her; being there for her no matter what.

He turned to look at her again and a small smile spread across his features. She needed him. That thought made him feel good and he was determined that what ever she needed from him she would get. And so would Rory. He vowed to himself to never let either of them down again.

He reached over to her and moved a curl from in front of her eyes where it had fallen causing her to stir. She opened her eyes to see Luke smiling at her.

"Good morning." He said when he saw her looking at him.

"Mmm. Morning to you too." She mumbled as she moved closer to snuggle into him.

"What no 'good' with that morning?" He joked as he wrapped his arms around her

"That depends on what time it is." She groused, yawning.

Luke chuckled as he craned his neck to look at the clock. "It's… 8:30 am."

"Then no. There is no 'good' in that morning." She said placing a kiss on his chest.

He smiled as he tangled his fingers through her hair and kissed her forehead.

Suddenly Lorelai's head popped up and looked at the clock for herself. "8:30… wow." She looked at him and smiled, "she did it." She jumped up to sit up next to him. "She made it the whole night in her room!"

She threw back the covers and went to get out of bed but Luke gently grabbed her arm and stopped her. "Where are you going?''

"I want to check on her."

"Just don't wake her, she could use the rest." He smiled as he let go of her arm and slid out of bed after her.

"Of course!" She smiled happily. "I am so proud of her."

"Yeah, me too." He stood and pulled her into his arms. "Let's go check on her and I'll make coffee and breakfast ok?"

"Perfect." She leaned up and kissed him before pulling him out of the room and down the stairs.

At the hospital

Logan woke at 6am when the nurse's shift changed and the new nurse came in to check on him. After she left he grabbed the remote and turned on the TV, flipping through channels. Nothing else was on so he put on the local news for the business report.

His mind wasn't really paying too close attention to what was being said though. He was too busy thinking about Rory and wondering how she was and if she would get herself back. He knew it wouldn't be easy and it wouldn't really begin until Chris was put away for good. She could get past some things now but couldn't really relax until she was sure he couldn't do anything else to hurt her or her mother.

He caught a recap on upcoming news about her father's court case and knew that would make it harder to get through it all. Hopefully she would be able to handle the attention the news broadcasts would bring her.

He sighed and picked up the remote again and started flipping through the channels. He was bored and just wanted out of the hospital. So he watched whatever came up while he waited for the doctor to come in.

The Gilmore's

Richard and Emily woke late that morning, grateful they had their grand-daughter and daughter back. They got up and went through their morning ritual to get ready for the day. As they sat down to breakfast they opened their newspapers and began reading.

"Richard?"

"Yes Emily?" He put his paper down to look at her.

"I want to go see the girls today."

His eyes softened. He knew that now she was welcome into their lives she wasn't willing to let it go. But she was also worried about them. Genuinely worried about the. He was too. That wouldn't change. Not even when Christopher was finally behind bars.

"Well, today might not be possible Emily." He answered.

"Why not?"

"Well, they have to meet with Ms. Clark today and we are not sure how long that will take and I am sure they have other appointments that they need to go to as well." He watched her face fall as she remembered the meeting the young prosecutor.

"However," He continued. "We could have them over for dinner. I'm sure they would be free for that."

Emily's face brightened at that thought. "Of course. I'll call them after breakfast and see if they are free." She grabbed her newspaper and began eating.

Richard smiled and lifted his own paper. He was happy that they were all getting along now as well.

Christopher

Christopher lay sleeping in the king size bed in his hotel room. It was a large suite with one entire wall a window. The drapes were closed but a crack in the center still let a beam of light shine through, waking him from a deep sleep.

He turned over to get away from the light but could not get back to sleep. He blinked his eyes open and sat up groaning from stiff muscles. When he sat up the blanket fell away revealing long gouges in the skin of his arms and chest as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

He felt the tightness from the scabbed up scratches and looked down at himself frowning. He knew she had scratched his but had been unaware of just how badly she had done it. He got a little angry at this.

She knew what he had wanted and instead of letting him have her she had fought him. This had merely angered him more and he had been forced to punish her severely. She would have to learn to do what she was told.

His thoughts turned to the night before and smiled. He had definitely worked out some of his anger and punished her for making him work so hard at getting what he wanted. Once he was done he had left her off in the park, not far from where he had first seen her.

His smile faded as he remembered watching Luke and Lorelai through her window. Watching her let Luke hold her and touch her when she wouldn't let him near her, apparently she had not learned her lesson. He would just have to make sure she did the next time he instructed her. He just had to get her alone.

He got up out of bed and headed for the shower. He would wait to see when the next opportunity presented itself and would have to make sure he was prepared for it when it did. This time he would make sure she learned her lesson and punish her for not getting it the first time. He would have to take her somewhere no one would find them and he would get to work in earnest. And she would never leave him again.

Lorelai's House

Later that morning after breakfast, they had called and made appointments with ADA Clark and with Rory's student advisor at Yale. Rory insisted on the latter appointment. She knew that she had to stay on track and not fall too far behind. She was determined not to let what happened derail what her original goal and to come out of this situation on top and show everyone how strong she really was in the face of adversity. After all, if she was going to be a journalist, this should help her learn how to deal with bad situations and be able to write about them.

She looked up to see her mom and Luke at the sink washing the dishes. They were always touching each other when they were together now. Their gazes locked and it seemed as if they were communicating silently with each other. No actual words were needed. She smiled at this. They were finally back on track and more in love now, it seemed, then they ever were. No one deserved it more then them.

This was something that gave Rory hope that someday, there would be someone out there for her like that. At this thought her mind turned to Logan. She loved him; a lot. And she knew that he loved her. But would their love make it and turn into what her mom had with Luke? She wasn't sure. But she knew she had to give it time. Luke and her mom had known each other for many years and that helped them in their relationship and their feelings for each other. She knew that if it was meant to be with Logan they would be able to build their relationship like her mother and Luke did.

She smiled; they would get there. She pulled out one of her books from Yale walked into the living room and happily started reading, knowing that some how everything would be ok.

…

.o0o..o0o..o0o..o0o..o0o.

…

Luke and Lorelai stood at the sink washing dishes, taking every opportunity to touch each other as they passed dishes back and forth, staring at each other and smiling, lost in thoughts of one another.

When Rory stood up and grabbed a book going into the living room, Lorelai looked at her and saw her smiling. Then turned to see Luke watching as well. They were both glad she was able to smile again. Their gazes locked again and Luke's smile widened when neither could seem to look away. Luke dried his hands and slid and arm around her waist and pulled her to him, placing a gentle kiss on her lips.

They pulled back and looked into each other's eyes and quickly went back in for more, wrapping their arms tightly around each other trying to get as close as they could to each other. They quickly lost themselves in their kiss, not having experienced one like that for a long time. Luke let one arm slid further around her waist and the other traveled up to cradle the back of her neck and pulled her closer still.

After a few moments they loosened their grip and panted trying to catch their breaths.

"Wow." Lorelai whispered.

"Wow is right." Luke chuckled. "I missed that." He brought his hand up to brush his fingers gently across her cheek.

"Me too." She said smiling. She brought her arms down from his neck and laid them flat against his chest and sighed. She felt selfish. She wanted him so badly but felt like it would be better to concentrate on Rory first. And she felt it would be better if they took this part of their renewed relationship a little slower then before. She didn't want to rush things like she had always done in the past. And after what Chris had done she was a little scared but she also knew that Luke would never force anything with her and would let her set the pace.

Luke heard her sigh and knew what thoughts were running through her mind. He also wanted to take things slow. She had been through so much and he wanted nothing more then to make sure she was happy and completely comfortable before progressing further with the physical aspects of their relationship. So he took a deep breath and placed his hands over hers on his chest. "Lorelai?"

She looked into his eyes and saw nothing but love and concern there. "Yes."

"You know that I would never…" He stopped as she placed her fingers over his lips.

"I know." She was touched at how he wanted to make sure she knew that he would wait. That he knew what her own concerns were. "I love you."

Luke's smile widened. "I love you too." He pulled her into a tight hug and rubbed her back, kissing the side of her head.

After a few moments he looked at the clock and pulled back again. "We need to get ready to go to see Ms. Clark."

"Yeah, just a minute." And she pulled him back into a hug. "I'm not done hugging yet."

Luke just smiled and held her tighter.

The living Room

The phone rang while they were getting ready for their meeting and Luke went to answer it. "Hello."

"Oh, hey Emily." He listened a moment. "I'm not sure, let me get Lorelai. Hold on." He laid the phone on the desk and called upstairs. "Lorelai?"

"I'm almost ready, I'm coming." She raced down the stairs putting on the earrings Luke had given her when they had first started dating.

"Your mom's on the phone." He picked up the receiver and handed it to her.

"Hey mom." She listened as her mother spoke on the other end while playing with a letter opener on the desk.

"Well, we are getting ready to go see Ms. Clark today…" She listened again. "We have to leave soon for that appointment and then we have an appointment with Rory's advisor at Yale in the late afternoon." She stopped as she flipped open her date book.

"Well, why don't we have dinner tomorrow night? I am sure Rory will want to go see Logan after we leave Yale and I know we'll all be tired after that."

"Yes, it would be better tomorrow but if we have time before Yale we will stop by and see you." She smiled at her mother's excitement at wanting to see them all. She was so glad that things were going well between them now. She never thought that would ever happen. She was happy to be proven wrong.

"Yeah, she's doing well. She's in the shower now and… she slept in her own room last night and didn't have any problems! She smiled at her mother's response. "I think she will be just fine. She has the Gilmore strength after all."

"No we're not rushing anything." She listened more before breaking in. "No mom. I think because nothing else happened to her while she was being held is a big reason why she is getting better sooner then most people. Makes it easier somehow."

"Yes, that's exactly what I mean."

"Ok." She smiled. "Yep. Bye mom." She hung up and looked at Luke. "Are you up to dinner at the Gilmore's tomorrow night?"

Luke smiled and nodded as he ran a hand gently across her cheek and landed on her shoulder. "Yeah, I could do that."

Her smile widened, melting his heart as she always did with that smile and he pulled her into a hug.

Rory came downstairs to see their embrace and smiled. They were so sweet together. Although she would never tell Luke that. He didn't want to be referred to as sweet.

They heard her on the stairs and turned to look at her smiling. "Hey kid. You almost ready?"

"Yeah." She stopped at the bottom step. "I just want to get a book or two to read in case we have to wait."

"Ok then. Grab your book and we'll head out." She said as she reached out and stroked her hair.

"Ok." She walked into her room and grabbed a couple books from her desk and headed out of her room.

Christopher 

After getting out of the shower he sat down at the laptop computer the hotel had provided him to use, to do some research on places he could take her when he finally had her. He scrolled through page after page but could not seem to find any place suitable. He pounded his fist on the desktop in frustration and stood up to pace, thinking about what options he did have.

He wanted some place that was secluded where no one would think to look, where no one would be able to hear her. It had to be someplace close by and absolutely no chance someone would come around at all.

He stopped in his tracks as an idea popped into his mind. His mother was away for an extended visit in Europe and had made it clear that she would not be back for what he was going through. After he had related his version of events, his mother had said she was just too fragile to deal with all of this and gave him the number of an attorney his father had used in the past and that he would just have to take care of the situation himself.

He sighed. His mother couldn't do anything for herself. His father had always taken care of everything and had been in tight control of everything around him. She had only hung from his arm and did as he told her too. She had learned over the years that she didn't have to think about anything. She had relied on her husband for everything and she became the trophy wife.

He smiled at this. It was exactly how Lorelai would be after he trained her. He would do that exactly like his father had done to train his own wife. She had been easy to teach though and needed little instruction. All she had to do was what he told her so she could continue to live the life-style she wanted to live.

He knew it would be harder to train Lorelai. She had been on her own since she was 17 years old and had been in control of her own situation for far too long; too independent. He should have done this long ago so he wouldn't be having this problem right now. It would take a while to break her but it would happen, and she would learn, just like his mother did.

Now all he had to do was set up his mother's house how he needed it to be and send away the servants left behind to care for it. Maybe have them just close the house up for the season and pay them their salary to stay home. Then once that was in place all he had to do was wait for his opportunity to get Lorelai away from Luke. Then he could keep her hidden while going through his trial and fight the ridiculous charges and move on with his life with her. And no one would find her until he was ready for her to be found. And then she would tell every one that she was where she belonged and that she was happy.

Then he could make more permanent arrangements back in Boston for them and she would be away from everyone she knew and even more under his control.

But he would have to take care of Luke first. Once he was out of the way things would be much easier. He would never let her go without a fight and he just didn't have time for that. He couldn't allow him to butt in anymore.

Smiling he went back to his computer to do some research on what he would need for what he had in mind.

Yale

Luke and Lorelai sat in the advisor's outer office waiting for Rory to finish her meeting. Lorelai just sat and thought about earlier at the DA's office. It had been quite an emotional meeting for them. It had also taken a lot longer then she had thought because each of them had to answer questions and talk about what they knew individually.

Rory had been as emotional as Lorelai at times but showed much more strength then Lorelai expected. Everyday she seemed to grow stronger.

When they left they headed straight to Yale to make her appointment with her advisor. On the way she had called Logan and filled him in on her meeting and her upcoming appointment. He said he was feeling much better and that the doctor told him that if he kept improving he could go home the next day.

When she told him they would be coming over after her meeting with her advisor, Logan told her to stay home instead because they had just given him his medication and he was already feeling really drowsy and would just be sleeping for her visit. He would see her in the morning.

She had reluctantly agreed to not visit even though she wanted to see him. But felt better about it when Lorelai agreed he could stay with them for a couple of days. Luke had only agreed as long as Logan knew he was sleeping on the couch and not with Rory. Both girls had chuckled at that knowing how protective he was being. She really felt as if she had a father looking out for her and it made her smile.

Rory insisted on going into her advisor's office alone. She wanted things to go back to normal as soon as possible and couldn't really feel like it was, if her mom was with her at all of her meetings. She wanted her life back and was going to get it back on her own terms.

So Luke and Lorelai sat outside, holding hands and waited, her head on his shoulder. After a while she looked up at Luke "Hon?"

Luke smiled at her. He loved it when she used endearments for him and squeezed her hand. "Yeah?"

"Can we go to Sniffy's for dinner?" She hadn't been there in a very long time and missed them and their food.

"Sure. That's a good idea." He kissed her forehead and looked at the door to the office. "Do you think she'll be too much longer?"

Lorelai looked at Luke's watch. "Well, she's been in there about 30 minutes so she shouldn't be too much longer."

"Ok." He stood up. "I'm gonna call them and have them save our table then."

She smiled and pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and handed it to him. "Here, you can use my cell."

He took it and smiled back. "Ok, I'm gonna go outside and call."

"I'll be here." She watched him as he turned to walk out and tilted her head to the side watching his rear end appreciatively as he walked away. She turned when she heard a chuckle and saw the student secretary smiling at her apparent ogling one of Luke's best attributes. She chuckled at being caught and righted herself. She picked up a magazine and began to flip through it while she waited. 15 minutes later Luke walked back in and handed her the cell phone as he sat back down.

"Wow that was a long conversation." She said putting her phone away.

"Yeah." He looked at her sheepishly. "They knew we had broken up but not that we had gotten back together or anything else that has been going on so… I just filled them in on the details." He stopped trying to gauge her reaction.

Lorelai understood that Buddy and Maizy were probably mad at her for what had happened between them. But Luke had taken the time to explain what happened. "Oh."

Luke squeezed her hand and immediately turned to her. "I told her that we were back together and told her a little about the situation. Not all of it, but the most important details." He smiled. "She's happy that we were able to work things out. She can't wait to see you."

She smiled at this and blinked back the tears that threatened to fall.

Luke saw this and pulled her to him and placed a kiss on her forehead. They both turned as they heard the door open near them and saw Rory walk out. She had a couple of books a few folders in her arms and a huge smile on her face. She turned to her advisor who had followed her out and offered him her hand. "Thank you very much for your help. I appreciate it."

"Not at all Miss Gilmore. Let me know if I can help further."

"I will." She turned back to her mom still smiling.

"How'd it go?" Lorelai asked as soon as her advisor had gone back into his office.

"It went great! My professors all agreed to give me a few days extension on the assignments I missed over the last couple days and then even gave me the assignments for the rest of the week so I can stay home a few more days but still work on what I need to."

"Really! That's great!" She said as she put her arm around her shoulders and Luke took her books from her. They walked out into the hallway and headed to the parking lot. "Do you think you will be ready to come back on Monday?"

"Yeah. I need to get back to my routine. I can't let what happened change me and make me not achieve my goals." She said.

"Good for you Rory." Luke said. "I'm proud of you."

"Thanks… I'm proud of me too." She smiled.

Lorelai squeezed her shoulders. "Me three babe… hey are you hungry?"

She dramatically placed her hand over her stomach. "Starved!"

Luke just chuckled and shook his head. "Just like your mother." He got in the Jeep as they gawked at him.

Lorelai gasped and placed her hand on her heart and winked at Rory. "Is that a complaint?" Getting into the jeep herself.

Luke just looked from one to another and smiled. "Nope."

The girls just smiled at each other knowingly as they buckled up. "Ooh and we're going to Sniffy's for dinner!"

"Cool, I can't wait!" She sighed happily as Luke started the Jeep and drove off towards the restaurant. "I've heard a lot about the place."

Luke just smiled as they drove away.

TBC…

13


	25. Chapter 25

7thgirlgal

i Thanks! I am trying to make it more real time then dragged out like some story lines I have seen. So I am glad that it's turning out like it is. Sorry for the delay in updating. Too much in Real Life going on lately. Enjoy

TweetyBirdGirl

Thanks! I am so glad you like it! Sorry for the delay in the update. Lots going on right now but it is finally letting up so I was able to get this finished! Yay! And of course Chris is stupid so… LOL Enjoy!

Lorelai Gilmore Danes

All will soon be revealed (insert evil laugh here) LOL I hope you like it when it's all done!

Yeah me too. I love Buddy and Maizy so HAD to put them in here. More to come below on that…

Find out more about that here…

Me either. I am having a ball writing this so it should prove interesting indeed. I hope you continue to like how the story develops. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing!

Elliotlvu

Thanks! More to come right now! Hope you like this too!

PuppiesRCute

Yeah, I can see her healing process being a little easier then your average kidnap victim mainly because of the fact that no… funny stuff happened to her so I am sure that helped. But all may not yet be well with her. We'll just have see how it evolves.

I would like to think they would. They got to see the real Luke and really look at him without reconceived notions. That is all they really need to do to see how great he is.

Logan info below so… and as far as Chris, he is evolving more and more so stay tuned to see what happens. Thanks so much and enjoy!

froggy moe

Thanks! Yes indeed! I am having fun though so it's all good! Hope you like this one!

Sarah  


Thanks! I never thought I could do suspense before so I am glad it is turning out as well as it is. Thanks so much and enjoy more below!

The Mrs.Ventimiglia

Muwhaaa I am glad this story is being received this way. It is exactly what I had hoped. I just wish real life would back off a bit so I could get going on it. Thanks for reading and here's some more to enjoy!

mrmp

Thanks! As far as Rory not seeing Logan that day it is explained and she did see him before that (so far the whole story has taken place over a few days time) She will be seeing him soon though never fear! I hope you like the rest of the story!

xxsykochick16

Well I love LL and Rory so… LOL Glad you like the story. Enjoy more below! Thanks

charli  


Wow! Thanks! That means a lot thanks! I hope you continue to like the story. I know what you mean about being inside the story. That's how I feel writing it!

Braelyn Rae

Aww sorry about the burn… but I am glad the update cheered you up though.

Thanks! LOL I can't picture Luke any other way. I think he still sees her as a little girl he needs to protect. And after a long delay it is finally here! Enjoy!

Curley-Q

Thanks! Me too! Enjoy some more! I hope you like this one too.

LorLukealways

Hehehe LOL never heard of it but the name speaks volumes! Thanks! I hope you like this next one!

LukePlusLorelaiEqualsL O V ...

LOL I can't tell at all how you feel about Luke not dying. Can't tell you much but trust me when I say I love Luke too!

Wow! I am flattered and also feel bad because this one is so much later then I intended. I hope this one helps make the days go by better! Enjoy this one!

hollowgirl22

LOL I'll keep it in mind for Chris. Sorry for the delay on this ne but I hope you like it! Thanks!

justawritier

Thanks and you will have to keep reading to find out. Sorry but I can't give it all away ;)

vakan

Thanks! All will soon be revealed but I do hope you like it. I tell you I tried to update faster but real life is a bit of a pest lately but hopefully it will be letting me get back to work on this. Hope you like this one!

_Hi all! So so sorry for the delay, but I hope this can help make up for it. Please as always read and review. I feed off the reviews to be a better writer. Thanks for reading this story and enjoying it with me. Here is the latest chapter to enjoy!_

**Chapter 25**

Thirty minutes later they pulled up to Sniffy's and drove around looking for a parking space. The place was packed tonight but Luke found a spot easily and pulled in. Rory just looked at all the cars in the lot and shook her head. "Wow. Are we going to be able to get a table? They looked really busy." She asked as they all piled out of the Jeep.

"Yeah, don't worry Luke called ahead while you were in with your advisor." Lorelai linked her arm through Rory's and held Luke's hand as they walked around the Jeep to the restaurant.

"Ok, good." Rory responded with a smile. She was glad to finally meet two people she had heard so much about and were important to Luke. It felt as if she were meeting his family.

Lorelai was a little nervous as they approached. She knew they knew about the break up and that Luke talked to them about what had happened but she was still nervous about seeing them. Could they let go of their feelings about what happened? Would they change? Would they welcome her back or be cold to her? Luke could see the emotions running over her face and squeezed her hand in his. "Don't worry. It'll be ok." He whispered to her.

She smiled at him. It was comforting to know that he still paid attention to her feelings after so long without that. She squeezed his hand to let him know she appreciated it. Luke just smiled back and reached out to open the door for them to enter.

When they walked in, they saw a large number of people waiting to be seated and a man standing at the front arguing with an older lady. "That table back there is open. Why can't we have that one?" he pointed to the booth that Luke and Lorelai always sat at when they came in.

"Because that table is reserved." Maizy replied. "Don't worry, it won't be long now. A table is being prepared as we speak." She looked past him and saw Luke and Lorelai. "Excuse me." She said as she pushed past him and headed straight for them.

"Lucas!" She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him.

"How ya doing Maizy?" He hugged her back with a smile.

"I'm the same of course." She smiled and grabbed his face in her hands. Then she turned to Lorelai.

"Lorelai, I'm so glad you're back." She pulled her into a tight hug, making her smile and her worries melt away and she hugged her back tightly.

She pulled back and smiled at her. "So am I, Maizy." She turned to look behind her. "And this is the infamous Rory." She gestured to her and Maizy smiled at her.

Rory held out her hand. "It's nice to meet you." Maizy just brushed her hand aside and pulled her into a hug too.

"Now none of that." she said pulling back and held her at arms length. "These two talk about you so much I feel I know you." She looked her up and down. "And you are everything they say you are."

Rory blushed. "I'm sure they exaggerated a bit."

"No such thing!" Lorelai gasped.

Luke put his arm around her shoulder and she leaned into him. "We didn't exaggerate anything." He smiled at them.

"Excuse me?" The man Maizy had been talking to before they walked in interrupted them. "Our table?" He gestured to his party.

"Just a minute." She said. "Let me see if it's ready." She walked him past pulling Luke and the girls with her, leading them to their regular table. "Now sit while I get these people seated and then I'll send out Buddy." She picked up the reserved sign and walked away and they sat down while the man waiting with his party scowled at them.

A few minutes later Maizy got the people waiting all seated and ran back into the kitchen. They all sat back at their table and sipped the drinks their waitress brought them while they waited for Buddy to come out. The waitress always knew that Luke and his party always had whatever Buddy and Maizy brought them so the don't take their order.

"Wow they really are packed!" Lorelai said looking around.

"Yeah, I wonder if Buddy needs help." Luke said as he looked around.

"Nonsense Lucas," Buddy came up behind them and had heard what he said. "I have all the help I need."

Luke stood up and shook his hand while the girls sat and watched. Buddy then turned to Lorelai and put his hands on his hips. "Now is that how you say hello to me?" He said with a fake scowl on his face. "I thought we had something special."

Lorelai laughed and slid out of the booth. "Shhh, you're not supposed to tell Luke." She hugged him warmly and kissed his cheek as Luke chuckled. She pulled back and turned once again to Rory. "Buddy I would like you to meet Rory."

He reached a hand over the table and took her hand. "It's very nice to meet you. My, you are as beautiful as the said you were."

"Thank you," she blushed. "It's really nice to finally meet you."

"And such god manners!" He looked at Lorelai. "How'd that happen?"

Lorelai gasped, "Well, just for that I'm dumping you for Luke." She leaned into Luke slipping her arm around his waist while he wrapped his arm around her.

Buddy just laughed. He was about to respond when Maizy walked up to them. "Sit, sit," She said. "You're blocking the aisle."

As they sat back down, Buddy rubbed his hands together. "So, I have a great dinner almost all ready to go for you. I started getting it ready when Maizy told me you called and said you were coming." He waved to the kitchen. "I'm gonna go get it for you." He turned and quickly ran back into the kitchen.

Lorelai smiled and clapped her hands. "Ooh what is it?" She was so glad that they didn't hate her after all that had happened.

"Just hold your horses' missy." Maizy smiled at her. "It will be right out." She grabbed their empty glasses. "I'll get you more to drink." And walked away.

Rory looked at them. "But how do they know what we want?"

Lorelai waved her hand. "Don't you remember? I told you they bring us what they want. But don't worry, it's always wonderful." She smiled and patted her hand. "It's part of their charm."

"Yeah I remember you told me about it." She nodded.

Maizy came back with their drinks and Luke raised his eyebrows as she put a beer down in front of him. She just chuckled and patted his shoulder. "Don't get used to it."

Then Buddy and another server brought out their food. He made them lamb chops with all the trimmings. "Now I expect you to eat at least half of those vegetables." He said pointing to Lorelai.

She just laughed. "I promise."

They spent the evening enjoying a wonderful meal and for the first time in months they all felt relaxed and at peace. Later they had coffee with Buddy and Maizy and they a great time talking and laughing before heading home for the evening.

…

.o0o..o0o. Chris .o0o..o0o.

…

Chris hung up with Carter after a long conversation and smiled. He didn't have to go back to court for two weeks and now had plenty of time to do what he needed to do to get ready for an extended guest. Two weeks to figure out the best way to get a hold of her. Plenty of time…

He got up and picked up his notebook and walked back over to the table where his unfinished dinner sat. He picked at the food as he went over his notes trying to make sure he thought of everything. He looked at the last page, satisfied that he had it all down.

He smiled again. When he had her he could do anything he wanted and no one would ever know. He would keep her isolated from everything. Deprivation was the best thing he could do to get her trained faster. He had to be the only thing she saw; the only thing she knew; the only thing that connected her to the outside world. Then he could exert complete control over her and if she didn't comply; He would have to punish her and then she would learn that this was all she would have in her life now.

But that was when he had her. He shook his head, making himself come back to reality. He had his plan in place for when he had her but now he had to get her. He had to find a way to get her alone and take her. He would have to watch and see what her patterns were so he could find the best time to take her.

Damn restraining order; now he had to be extra careful. He couldn't just say it was a coincidence if he is spotted near her. He would have to make sure no one saw him. This was going to be harder then he thought. Plus he would have to deal with Luke somehow. He was always around keeping her company and not leaving her alone. He had to get her away from him before _he_ had control over her.

So he had to keep an eye on Luke too. He couldn't stay away from his diner forever. He had to go back. And when he did, he would find out his routine and take him out. He had to get rid of him in order to get to Lorelai and with him out of the way, he wouldn't have to worry about anyone coming after her trying to take her away from him.

He pulled out the map he had that had Star Hollow on it and began to mark places he could watch them from working late into the night.

…

.o0o..o0o. Luke and Lorelai .o0o..o0o.

…

Luke woke early as usual and felt Lorelai's head on his shoulder and turned to place a kiss on her forehead. He sighed contentedly before moving to get out of bed. He sat on the edge of the bed a moment, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and stretching his tired muscles. He got up and walked into the bathroom.

When he came out he looked at Lorelai. She had moved over to his side of the bed and wrapped her arms tightly around his pillow. He smiled as he looked at her; she was so beautiful and so strong. He couldn't believe how strong she was. When he thought about everything over the last few months… no the last year, and how much she had gone through, he then realized just how much he loved her and he vowed to himself that he would never let her down again.

With a sigh he turned and headed out of the room and down to the kitchen. He saw Rory's bedroom door cracked open and stopped to peek in at her. She was tangled in her blankets sound asleep. He smiled at the sight and again thought of just how strong she was as well. So much like her mother; she had her mother's strength but also her father's fears and she was doing an admirable job of using her strength to overcome those fears. Which made her even stronger then he had originally thought.

He turned to the kitchen and began pulling food out to make breakfast for two of his girls. They would be hungry when they woke up and then they could go and get Logan from the hospital.

As the smells of coffee and breakfast wafted through the house Lorelai and Rory both woke up and smiled when they smelled breakfast and trudged bleary eyed from their rooms to the kitchen and put their heads down on the table with their eyes closed.

Luke just shook his head and set two cups of coffee in front of them. He watched as Rory opened one eye and reached a hand forward and pulled the coffee towards her. Lorelai didn't even open her eyes, she just reached out and grabbed her cup and pulled it forward not moving her head until it was close enough to drink it. Impressive really.

As the hot brown liquid made its way down their throats they both finally opened their eyes to see Luke laughing at them. "What's so funny?" Lorelai asked as she sipped more coffee.

"You are when you haven't had coffee." He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Morning."

"Morning." She chuckled.

"Morning Rory." He said as he dropped a kiss on her forehead as well.

"Mm mm mmm." She grumbled and Luke just laughed more.

"Like mother, like daughter." He said shaking his head. He filled their plates and set the down in front of them. "Ok, heads up. Time to eat."

Lorelai obeyed immediately, but Rory took a little longer to get going, but once she did she wolfed it down. Luke sat down with his own breakfast and smiled as he thought he wanted to wake up like this everyday.

"After breakfast let's get ready and go to the hospital." He said as he began to eat.

"Oh yeah!" This woke Rory the rest of way the up. "Logan gets out of the hospital today!" She looked over at her mom. "Come on mom! Let's get moving!"

Lorelai smiled at her excitement. "You got it babe. Eat up and shower and then we'll get ready."

About an hour later they headed out the door.

…

.o0o..o0o. Hospital .o0o..o0o.

…

Logan lay in the bed in his room waiting for the doctor to come in and release him. He had been in earlier that morning to check on him and let him know he is just waiting on a few test results and barring anything unforeseen he could go home today.

He grabbed the remote for the TV to try and pass the time until he got word from the doctor and to keep from calling Rory. She would probably be here before long anyway so no need to rush her. He stopped on the morning local news program to see what was going on in the outside world.

He only half listened to the reports about a missing woman, drug busts and the business reports. The story of the missing woman caught his attention and made him think to when Rory was missing and he could relate with newfound sympathy with the people who were missing her today. He had never given too much thought about stuff like that before. It had never hit too close to home even though his family would be a prime target for something like that; only the reasons would be for money. And a member of his own family would certainly not do something like that at all. He just shook his head and wondered why Chris would do this. Even if it was to get Lorelai's attention it is still a despicable thing to do.

His attention was pulled back from his thoughts when the very person he was thinking of, came into the room making him smile. "Hey Ace! Boy did I miss you yesterday."

She smiled and laughed. "But of course." She said as she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. She pulled back and sat on the edge of the bed and took his hand. "How do you feel today?"

"Better now that you're here." He squeezed her hand tightly in his. "I really did miss you yesterday."

"Yeah me too." She looked down at their hands feeling a little guilty that she hadn't come by to see him last night. "I'm sorry I didn't…"

Logan cut her off. "Hey Ace don't be sorry. I told you not to come because I was out of it and sleepy anyway. Don't feel bad at all." He stroked her hand with his thumb. "But I have to admit I am glad you're here now."

She smiled at him and leaned forward to kiss him.

Lorelai walked into the room in time to see the kiss between them and smiled. "Hey Logan." She buzzed into the room with Luke right behind her.

"Hey Lorelai… Luke." He shook Luke's hand. "How are you? You here to break me out of this medical torture chamber?"

"Yes we are. We have the nurse checking with the doctor to see what is going on and when you can leave." Lorelai said as she put her purse down and sat in the chair next to the bed.

"Yeah, I doubt she will be able to get any word yet though. I tried sending her earlier and she couldn't get any answers." He smiled at them. "But thanks for trying." He waved it off. "He should be in soon anyway…" He stopped as the door to his room opened and the doctor walked in. "Speak of the devil. What's the good word Doc?" He looked up at him, his face a question mark.

"Well, Mr. Huntzberger, the word is good indeed." He opened his chart and wrote a few things down. "You can get dressed and get ready to go home. The nurse will be in with your paperwork and your instructions and prescriptions. She'll go over them with you and then you are good to go." He shut the chart and smiled at him. "I want you to see your own physician in two weeks for a follow up."

"You got it. Thanks Doc." He held out his hand and the doctor shook it.

"You're welcome." He nodded to the others and walked out of the room.

Luke shuffled his feet a bit. "Why don't we give Logan some privacy to get dressed."

"Oh good idea." Lorelai jumped up. "We'll be outside, let us know when you're decent." She winked and followed Luke out. Rory just smiled and shyly made her way out of the room.

Logan smiled and threw back the covers and got out of bed, going straight to the closet and getting his clothes out and got dressed. He was going to spend time with Rory before he had to go back to London. But decided he would get his money's worth with his frequent flyer miles. He wanted to see her as much as he could.

Thirty minutes later all four walked out of the hospital and got into Rory's car and headed to Stars Hollow. None of them saw the car that pulled in behind them.

TBC…

11


	26. Chapter 26

mcknightbabiie

Thanks!

mcknightbabiie

Me too… Thanks! Hope you like this one too!

mcknightbabiie

Hey! I am glad you commented on the chapter. I hope you like and comment on this one. It is a little short for me but the next one will be longer. I already have it written so I just have to get it typed and beta'd

nelope

Thanks! I am glad you liked it. Chris is a scum so I am writing as how I can see he could be.

**reader.**

Thanks! Here is more for you!

justawritier

Thanks LOL Yeah he is!

Squeegee-Beckenheim84

Very creepy! He is evil personified

Yeah.. I couldn't see him getting the upper hand over someone who is crazed like Chris was at that point. Hope you like this one!

HazieRox

LOL Thanks!

Well ok I will try to ignore the baby talk and honor your request for an update! Enjoy!

Thanks so much! Yes April will be in the next chapter after this one. I like how she turned out in the chapter but you gotta read this one first! LOL But don't worry the next one will not be two months later like this one. Enjoy!

froggy moe

LOL Yeah this one did too but I have another that will be ready to go soon that should make up for two months delay. Sorry and enjoy!

vakan

Well, you will have to keep reading to find out but I think you will like how it turns out. Enjoy this new one!

Curley-Q

Me too. I love those characters and I think I captured them pretty good. At least I hope so. Thanks!

That has yet to be determined but it will happen one way or another soon!

TheLongLostGilmoreGirl47

Here you go! Sorry it took so long!

Braelyn Rae

LOL I'm with you!

Well, the answer to your question is actually in this next chapter some what, just his mindset anyway. I hope you like it! And thanks for reading!

I have been so busy at home etc that I haven't had a chance to review your fic (I will do so more in depth after I post this) but I LOVE your fic too!

LukePlusLorelaiEqualsL O V ...

Yes I do love Luke. I want to take him home, lock him in a closet to keep as my personal play thing.. oh sorry got ahead of myself LOL All will soon be revealed!

**Sarah  
**

Thanks! Yes they do. But you will see more with this chapter. Enjoy!

7thgirlgal

Thanks! Here it is. A bit late but still kicking!

The Mrs.Ventimiglia

Thanks! I am glad you liked the Sniffy's scene. I thought it went well too. Chris is complicated so we will see just how it goes! In the meantime enjoy this chapter!

TweetyBirdGirl

Well read on to find out more! Thanks and enjoy!

The Mrs.Ventimiglia

Wow I love hearing that. I too love going to a long story and reading it all the way through. It is so much fun! Sorry you had to wait so long for an update. The next one will be out much faster this time! Enjoy!

lnl4ever

Yes I am. I just had a lot going on at home and had a hard time getting to this like I want to. But thankfully everything is now falling on line so it should be faster per chapter now. Enjoy this next one and 27 won't be too hard behind! Thanks!

_Hi all! Sorry it took so long with this chapter. I never envisioned taking almost two months to update this fic. I had a lot going on at home though and was under so much stress I had to get it taken care of. Also I am sorry this chapter is so short but the next one after it is longer and is already written (Yippie!) so I can guarantee that the next update will been much sooner. Thanks as always for reading and I hope you like it. Let me know what you think one way or the other. I like having my ego stroked and hearing about problems etc so I can learn and grow. So let me have it!_

**Chapter 26**

Thirty minutes later they all pulled up to the house and went inside laughing. They were all so happy that everything seemed to be over. Luke wondered in the back of his mind if Chris would try anything or not. He knew he had a restraining order but that didn't mean he would abide by it. His mind had been wandering over that question the whole ride home and he was glad that he had made the changes at the house. He would feel better now that it was more secure.

The others had tried to engage him in their laughing and joking around but he just wanted to get them home safe. He had a feeling that they would need to be careful for a while. Luke made sure to lock the door as they came in. Rory just smiled shyly and flopped down on the couch next to Logan as she watched as her mom and Luke went into the kitchen.

She turned and sat facing Logan "Hey." She put her arm on the back of the couch and propped her head in her hand.

Logan turned to her and smiled. "Hey." He laid his head back on the back of the couch.

"Happy to be out of there?"

He snorted quietly. "You have no idea Ace." He put up his hand to stifle a yawn and closed his eyes.

She reached over and brushed hair out of his eyes with her fingers. "You ok?"

He opened his eyes to look at her "Yeah, just a little tired all of a sudden."

Rory got up and gently pushed him back to lie down. "Let me get you a blanket and a pillow so you can get comfortable and rest." She turned to walk away and stopped as she heard him call to her.

"What are you going to do?"

"I am going to take this opportunity to catch up on my homework."

He smiled sleepily at her. "Ok." And his eyes drifted shut again.

She got him a blanket and a pillow and tucked him in before heading towards her room.

…………..

……………

Lorelai followed Luke into the kitchen and grabbed a couple of waters from the refrigerator, handing one to him. He smiled as he took it from her and then set it on the counter behind him. When he turned around he was met with her confused look; it turned into a smile though as he took her water and set it by his then pulled her into a hug.

They stood there in the kitchen for a bit and lost themselves in the embrace. They relaxed, really relaxed for the first time in a long time. Everyone was ok and they were together again.

Rory walked into the kitchen and smiled as she saw her mom and Luke in a tight hug. She loved the two of them together. She went into her room and quietly shut the door peeking out until the crack closed completely.

Luke and Lorelai looked up as they heard the soft click of Rory's bedroom door. Smiling Lorelai leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. Luke reached up and stroked her hair as they kissed before he pulled back; sighing contentedly he wrapped her in a hug again. "You have no idea how happy I am right now." He murmured into her hair.

She chuckled softly and melted into him more. "Oh I think I have do."

He smiled and rubbed his hand up and down her back. "Yeah, I guess you do."

She pulled back and ran her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck. "I really do." She kissed him again. "Not that I liked everything that we've been through, but it really makes me understand how much I really do love you…and that I really need you." A tear slowly coursed down her cheek.

Luke reached up a hand a gently wiped it away. He started to speak but Lorelai stopped him with a finger on his lips. "I have never felt this way before… I have never felt so safe or been able to truly trust anyone before." She looked down then back up into his eyes. "I have never needed anyone before."

She ran her fingers lightly across his cheek. "I love you."

As he looked into her eyes and listened to her words he felt his eyes begin to mist over. He had heard her say similar things in the past and even though he believed her then, it was even more amazing now because he could _feel_ what she was saying like he never had before. "I love you too Lorelai… so much." Their eyes locked and then he pulled her into a kiss. A kiss so filled with his emotions that when they pulled apart the both had tears running down their cheeks.

They chuckled as they wiped each other's eyes. "Sap." She said.

"That's our little secret." He chuckled and pulled her towards him in a hug, placing a kiss on her forehead.

She loved hugging this man. There was no other place she'd rather be. As they clung to each other she felt familiar stirrings grow within her slightly muted by a pang of fear. She wanted him so much but her mind still had flashes of what Chris had done to her. But at the same time she knew Luke would never hurt her and would stop if she said stop. It had been months since it had happened and she felt very free and safe now that the truth was out there. She was surprised at how letting it out made her feel better.

Luke pulled back sensing what was on her mind. "How about I make us lunch?" He didn't want to rush anything either.

"In a minute." And she snuggled back into his embrace.

Luke chuckled and held her tighter. "Come on." He said after a minute. "You can help me."

She looked at him skeptically making him laugh. "It's just soup and sandwiches… it'll be easy."

"Ok... as long as you don't make anything too complicated."

He laughed again. "Don't worry… I won't." He pulled her over to the refrigerator and began pulling items out.

…

**.o0o..o0o..o0o..o0o..o0o..o0o.**

…

He had gotten back a little while ago. He couldn't follow them into Stars Hollow in the daytime; he would be seen. So when they got about 5 miles to the border he turned off and drove back to the hotel. He was frustrated. He wanted to watch them but was in no position to do that until nightfall. So he grabbed his notebook to go over his check list and called his mother's house to see if it ad been closed up yet. He was surprised to hear Mina, his mother's maid, answer the phone.

Needless to say he was not pleased that it hadn't been completed yet. "Yes Mina. My mother wants the house closed for the season. I told you that before." He listened as the maid explained that she would have to do it herself and that it would take longer then expected.

"Mina. I need it closed within two weeks." She was worried about losing her income and Chris rolled his eyes.

"You are not losing your income Mina. It is simply being mailed to your house until my mother comes back. She loves your work and is paying you to not work for anyone else so when she gets back you can come back to work at the house." He stopped as she spoke again. "Don't worry I am going to call her accountant and have it all set up."

"Ok Mina. Call me when the house is closed up." He rolled his eyes at her response. "Thanks Mina… bye."

Once he hung up the phone he shook his head and ran his hand through his hair. He grabbed his note pad to add talk to the account to his list when the phone rang again. "Hello."

"Hey Carter, what's up?" Just what he needed more distractions.

"Nothing much, just getting ready to go shopping." He stopped to listen to what Carter said.

"No I do not love shopping, but since I can't go back to Boston then I have to do something for clothes and other necessities."

"Yeah I know. Thanks." He looked at his watch. "Yeah ok. I'll see you then." He hung up and grabbed his notebook and jacket and hurried out the door.

…

**.o0o..o0o..o0o..o0o..o0o..o0o.**

…

That evening they had all headed to the Gilmore mansion for dinner. Lorelai was pleasantly surprised. It was the nicest evening she had ever had in that house.

Richard and Emily fawned over all of them and had a wonderful time and were disappointed when the evening came to an end. They walked them to the door and waved as they pulled away.

Rory and Logan were drained from all the excitement over the last few days and fell asleep leaning on each other in the back seat of the car. Lorelai just smiled as she turned back to the front, happy that everything was back to the way it was supposed to be. Her mind had always pictured what her life would end up being like when she was married with a family and this felt just the way it did in her mind.

Luke was also smiling. His smile was born from the fact that he was now accepted by the Gilmores. And he was accepted for who he was not what he has to give to their daughter. His mind wandered back to his conversation with Richard.

_**Flashback**_

_Everyone was talking and having a great time. Luke had gotten up to freshen up his drink at the bar and was met there a moment later by Richard._

"_Luke." He nodded to him as he poured his own drink._

"_Richard." He sipped his drink as he nodded in return. "I just want to thank you for having us over. It means a lot to Rory and Lorelai." He looked down at his shoes a moment before looking up again. "It means a great deal to me too."_

"_Well Luke… I appreciate that." He looked over at Emily and Lorelai deep in conversation. "It means a great deal to Emily as well." He sipped his own drink and looked at Luke. "You seem very good for my girls._

_Luke was surprised by that statement. He had always thought they had hated him. But now with everything that had happened he knew they now trusted him to take care of them. But his past experience with them left him a little wary. "Thank you." _

_He wondered if Richard had looked over the file that Mike and Dan had accumulated on him. It would explain a lot about why they now approved of him as it gave a deeper look into Luke's monetary holdings and they would, of course, approve of him now. He decided to take a chance and looked up at Richard. "Did you get a chance to look through my file?"_

_Richard was a little surprised by this question. "Why no I haven't." He ran a hand sheepishly over his chin and looked at Luke. "I am ashamed to admit that I had forgotten all about it." He brought his hand down and straightened up to his full height. "As a matter of fact I don't intend to… I know enough about you to know that you are a good, honorable man." He held out his hand to Luke. "And I would like to officially welcome you to our family."_

_Luke smiled and shook his hand. "I really appreciate that Richard." He sipped his drink again before continuing. "And I think that you should look at that file." He had decided to make a leap of faith and share his situation with Richard._

"_Oh now…" Richard began but was interrupted by Luke. _

"_Richard you paid a lot of money for the information and I think you should look at it.. and I may have questions about a few things for you once you do."_

"_I still feel like I am invading your privacy. You have been nothing but honorable and we treated you badly for a long time." He had the class to look ashamed of himself. "I regret that and I have no wish to invade your life like that."_

"_I must insist, Richard. There are a few things I want to talk about with you once you do read the file…some advice I may need." He looked into Richard's eyes. "And I think it's time you know all about me because I plan on being around for a very long time."_

_Richard smiled. "Well, if you insist I will look it over and let you know when I am finished."_

"_Good." Luke said._

_Just then Lorelai walked up holding an empty glass in her hand. "Hey you two, no hogging the bar."_

_Luke just chuckled and reached for her glass. "Here I'll take care of that."_

"_Why thank you kind sir." She smiled at him as he refilled her drink._

_Richard just watched them smiling, happy that his little girl was ok and happy._

_**End Flashback**_

"Hey." Lorelai reached over and took his hand. "You ok?" She had watched him and wondered what was going through his mind.

"Yeah." He smiled and squeezed her hand. "Never been better."

She smiled as he pulled her hand up to his lips, kissing it as they drove towards home.

**TBC…**


	27. Chapter 27

justawritier

Yeah I like that too. But read on for more. Thanks!

Squeegee-Beckenheim84

I thought it was great too. I always thought Richard was more open minded but went along with Emily because most of the time he was absorbed in work. Nice to see him make up his own mind. 

Yup… and much more to come on that very soon Thanks for reading and I hope you like this chapter.

froggy moe

LOL Here you go. Better? Glad you like this story. I am into it too and now I have the time to get it going to the finish. Hope you like this one! No torture for you this time! LOL

eternalgorithm

Thanks! Here is a longer chapter for you to enjoy.

ggandothlover

Thanks Dani! I appreciate that. Here is a MUCH longer chapter then the last one. Hope you like it!

Loridhhp

Wow! Thanks! I really appreciate the reviews. I have a lot of writing etc going on and as soon as I get completely caught up I will dig into your fic. I saved it to get alerts when a new chapter is posted. I like it so far but will review in depth more later. I look forward to reading your fic from start to finish and review each chapter as I go. Thanks again and I hope you like this next chapter as much.

7thgirlgal

Thanks! Here you go!

hollowgirl22

Thanks! And I am happy that this chapter is ready faster then my last! Enjoy!

Curley-Q

Yeah I had to find a new job… not easy in Michigan but I did it and am back tada!

Thanks and more will come soon. Don't want to give too much away about it yet. Enjoy!

Braelyn Rae

LOL I love that! Yes it was small but I hope this one makes it up o you!

Thanks! I have always thought that Luke and Richard are a lot alike and thought it their conversations would be pretty good. Thankfully this chapter was ready sooner. The beautiful thing is the next chapter after this is almost written too! So it should be ready sooner too! Can I hear a woo and a hoo!

Ah who cares. LOL You are welcome. I really love your story. I literally rub my hands together when I see it in my inbox. Thanks so much and enjoy!

LorLukealways

LOL I know the feeling! But all will soon be revealed. I am planning to end this by chapter 35. (crosses fingers – every time I say something like that I end up getting inspired and write even more) LOL Hope you like this one! Thanks so much!

LukePlusLorelaiEqualsL O V ...

Yeah me too but it made sense to end that one there. But this one is close to double the last chapter is. Hope you like this one! Thanks!

vakan

I could never forget this fic. Unfortunately unemployment does not agree with me. All is getting better and I now have less stress and more time so I will hopefully get this done in a more timely manner. Hope you like this one!

_Hi all! Well look at that… It hasn't been over a month! LOL Here, just a little over a week later is the next installment. It is quite a bit longer then the last chapter so lots to dig into. The next chapter should be out with in two weeks. It is almost completely written I just have to type, edit, beta yadda yadda yadda. So I hope this holds you over until then and enjoy! As always please read and review. I would love to hear what you think!_

**Chapter 27**

Later that evening, after they had gotten Rory and Logan settled in, they headed upstairs to bed.

Lorelai watched as Luke got ready for bed; he seemed distracted. It made her wonder if he was ok. She wasn't sure if she should ask him about it or not. It had the same feeling as before; when he had kept April from her. Was he keeping something from her? She tried to keep those thoughts from running through her mind by folding the clothes she had worn that day.

She jumped as she felt Luke's arms slide around her waist, jarring her out of her thoughts. He put his chin on her shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing…" She shook her head and placed a smile on her face and turned around. "Nothing at all."

Luke looked at her skeptically. He took her hand and pulled her gently over to the bed and sat down pulling her down to sit next to him. "Come on." He looked at her and she looked down but he took her chin and tilted her head up to look at him with his fingers. "Somethings wrong… tell me." He said gently.

Her smile faltered and she tried to look down again but Luke wouldn't let her. "I remember this look on your face a lot from before. I took it for granted that everything was ok then and it wasn't." He stroked his fingertips across her cheek. "I don't want to do that again."

A Tear escaped and rolled slowly down her cheek. "It's so stupid."

"It's not stupid." He reached up and wiped the tear away. "Tell me."

"I just… I just saw you and… you seemed distracted… I felt like… when you first found out about April… and it felt like you were pulling away from me again." She sniffled, "Like there's… I don't know… that you're keeping something from me."

"Oh Lorelai…" He said as understanding crossed his features.

"See… I told you it's stupid." She reached up to wipe the tears from her eyes but Luke stopped her hand and wiped them away himself. "I shouldn't expect to know everything… I mean, we aren't engaged anymore and we're starting over… I just…" Luke cut off her rant the only sure fire way he knew to shut her up. He kissed her.

When he pulled back she chuckled. "Sorry. I guess I started to babble huh?"

Luke tucked her hair behind her ear. "It's ok." He squeezed her hand in his. "And there is something I have kept from you…" He felt her tense up and rubbed her leg to keep her calm. "But it wasn't intentional."

He got up and paced the room in a tight circle. "I just never thought about it." He stopped and looked at her and she could see regret in his eyes. "And I know we're not engaged anymore…" He said as he came back over to sit next to her and took her hands in his. "I do still want to marry you." He ran his finger gently over her knuckles. Her face lit up in a radiant smile at this statement and his heart seemed to jump in his chest as if he had fallen over a cliff. And it was a feeling he would always have when it came to Lorelai and he couldn't help but smile in return.

"So I was thinking that there is that thing you don't know about… and since I do want to share my life with you… then you should know everything about me." He looked her in the eye. "You are entitled to that."

She took a deep breath before her next question. "What do you want to tell me?"

"Well, it's not really a big deal… I mean I never even think about it myself." He sighed. "I'm not exactly poor."

She looked at him questioningly but he continued before she could ask what he meant.

"When my dad died, he left a large bank account and a life insurance policy for me and Liz." He watched her as he spoke. "Liz, of course, took her share and left. She had Jess and no interest in college." He got up and started pacing again.

"I didn't want to go to college after my dad died. That would mean leaving Stars Hollow and I just couldn't bring myself to do that. He had left me the hardware store but I didn't really want to keep it. I kept it open for a little while but my heart just wasn't in it." He sat back down and continued. "I sat at home one night and thought about what I was going to do… I mean I had to do something. I was sad all the time and felt really alone. I finally decided that I would turn the store into a diner. I liked to cook and with a lot of people coming in to eat everyday it would keep me connected to the people here so I wouldn't really be alone."

She reached over and took his hand in hers as she listened. "So I used some of the money for that and then I moved into the office upstairs and rented out the house." He held her hand, tracing his fingers over her knuckles lightly. "I hadn't touched that money since, except to make deposits to the account. Over the next 20 years all I did was add to it… I paid myself a paycheck every week from the diner and the rest of the profit I made all went into that bank account. I mean I didn't need much and never went anywhere so I let it build up over the years and hardly thought about it at all."

He looked at her, a small smile playing over his lips. "I only ever touched that money twice since I opened the diner." He smiled as he remembered the first.

Realization flooded through Lorelai. "When you pushed Jess in the lake?" She started laughing when Luke nodded and he laughed right along with her.

"Yeah when I bought the building next to the diner." He shook his head. "I have only regretted that about a couple dozen times since Taylor got involved."

He looked up at her, "the other time was the investment in the Dragonfly. Other then that, the money has been sitting there."

"So what you're saying is… you're rich?" She asked. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

"I'm not rich… not like your family or… but I am very comfortable." He hoped she wasn't mad he hadn't told her. It was just one of those things that just wasn't really in his mind. "I didn't tell you because I honestly never thought about it. I have my personal account and it is the one I use for everything so it never even crossed my mind. I guess I just forgot about it."

"I don't understand how you could forget about something like that. I mean… I just can't understand that."

"I have only used it the two times and have only added it to every now and then when I did think about it." He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know what else to say about that." His head dropped. He felt bad about keeping it from her. He wouldn't blame her if she did get mad at him. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you before."

She reached over and gently raised his head to face her and he saw a gentle smile on her face. "I'm kind of glad you waited until now to tell me. Now my parents accept you for you and not for your bank account." She stopped and looked up. "You don't think…"

She didn't even finish the question because Luke had already started shaking his head. He knew what she was going to ask. "No. he didn't read it. I asked him about that tonight. Although I did suggest that he should read it."

"Why?" She was confused about that.

"I think it's time to be completely open with you and your family." He put his arm around her.

"Me I can understand but them?"

"Yeah. In fact I even thought about telling your mother about it at that first dinner we had… but decided against it." He had a small smile on his face. "I was going to tell you when we got back that night… but… you know what happened."

She blushed as she thought about the things they had done with each other. "I remember."

"Then I guess I just forgot again… and there you are." He reached up and ran his fingers through her hair. "And now I figured, with everything that happened between us… I figured that I should tell you."

She smiled and leaned in to kiss him. When they pulled back he rested his forehead against hers. "I do want to marry you, Lorelai. I want that more then anything else; I want to share every part of my life with you." She smiled as he spoke. "Once everything is settled and out in the open, we'll talk about it again. I just want everything with Chris taken care of and to have 100 percent of our issues dealt with before we go there. Is that ok with you?"

"I think that sounds good." She ran her hand over his cheek and looked into his eyes. "The only thing that would make this perfect…" She stopped suddenly and he gently prompted her to continue.

"What would make this perfect… is if you move in with me." She stopped him before he could say anything. "I know that it's kind of rushing a little but I know Rory will be going back to Yale and I don't want to be alone in the house… but most of all I have been without you for so long and I don't want to be without you anymore."

As she finished he pulled her to him for a deep kiss and smiled at her. "You're right… that would be perfect." Then he kissed her again. This kiss was much more heated then their last and he could feel the heat building up in him. He pulled back and turned his head up to the ceiling and closed his eyes, blowing out a breath and turned back to her.

"Sorry…" He rubbed a hand over his face. "It's ok… I was just as much into that kiss as you were. Please don't feel bad about it." She ran her down the side of his face. "I really am ok. I don't think we should get too physical right away again either… but we will." She kissed him gently.

"Don't worry, take all the time you need. I'll follow your lead." He smiled at her, understanding how she felt. "Why don't we get ready for bed, hmm?" He smiled gently at her. "We have a few details to work out before all of the other things happen. But let's talk about that in the morning."

"Sounds good."

He stood up. "Do you mind of I use the shower first tonight?" He blushed a little as he said it and she understood immediately what he needed to do.

"Go ahead."

He leaned down and kissed her again and walked into the bathroom. A moment later the water turned on.

…

**.o0o..o0o..o0o..o0o..o0o..o0o.**

…

Chris sat in his car and looked down at his list and checked off the items that he had purchased. He had most of what he needed, now he just had to wait until Mina closed up the house; then he could get it all inside and set it up.

Until then he would leave everything in the trunk of his car. Now, he could devote most of his time to watching them and figuring out the best way to proceed. He had to do it in a way that he was not a suspect. He had hoped that by the time the house was ready he would have a plan in place to get a hold of her.

He closed his notebook and headed back to his hotel.

…

**.o0o..o0o..o0o..o0o..o0o..o0o.**

…

The next afternoon, Luke sat on the bed his head in his hands. He had just been hung up on by April. He now had a pounding headache and all he could do was rub his temples. He had called her and filled her in on everything going on. She had seemed really happy that he and Lorelai were back together. When he had asked her about movie night she was excited about it.

She handed the phone to her mother and said she would be outside. When Luke told Anna about what was going on and that he wanted April to come over and spend the night, she blew up. They had a heated argument that was interrupted by April herself.

Anna told her to go back outside but April grabbed the phone from her and told him that she would call back after she had a chat with her mother. Before he could say a word she hung up the phone.

…………

………...

April hung up the phone and turned to face her mother. She had her hands on her hips and looking at her like she was out of her mind. "What the hell was that?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?"

"It's not for you to worry about April." She turned and started straightening things around the living room.

"Not for me to worry about? Are you kidding?" She couldn't believe she had said that to her. "You just told my dad that he couldn't see me if he let Lorelai around me. How is that not my concern?"

"April…"

"No mom. Why did you tell him that?" She put her hands on her hips.

"Because things will still be bad and they won't last." She looked at her as she spoke willing her to understand. "When they break up again you will be caught in the middle and I don't want you hurt that way."

"Oh mom that's not fair. Dad and Lorelai are good together. I saw that much at my birthday party. And even if they didn't work out I won't be stuck in the middle." She was angry at her mother for what she said. "I can't believe you would try to keep me from seeing my father."

"I am not keeping you from your father…" She began but was cut off again.

"Yes you are, mom" She sat down and lowered her voice. "For so long I didn't have a dad. And it never bothered me, you know, because I had you. Then the science fair came up and I wanted to win so bad that I thought if I get the DNA tests done to find my dad then that would help me win." She clasped her hands together. "I never even thought about what it would be like to have a dad."

Anna sat down next to her as she spoke. "I told him he didn't have to spend time with me or have to try to get to know me because I was used to him not being there. I had you and have never had a problem. I never felt like I was missing anything." She looked up at her mom. "But he _did_ want to spend time with me and get to know me. And it was fun. I had a lot of fun with him."

"April. I get it I do. But you do not know him like I do. He is not a good father and he is not a man who will ever marry."

"How do you know that?" She asked.

She had to make her understand. "April all he wants is to hang onto memories of his dad in that diner. What if Lorelai wants to move somewhere else? Do you think he would go with her? Do you think he will think about you? No. He will do something stupid and end up hurting you."

April started to speak but Anna cut her off. "He already bailed on Lorelai once. It's only a matter of time before he does it again." She put her hand over her daughter's. "And then you will be in the middle of it all and you _will_ get hurt."

"Mom, you don't know dad like _I_ do. He is nothing like you said. He is a good dad." She didn't know why she thought he was still the same as he was before. Didn't she understand that people do change? "He puts me first and wants to spend time with me. He is smart and we have fun and he loves me."

"And how do you know he puts you first? What gives you that idea?"

"Because he did it before." She looked at her mom hoping she would understand. "When you told him before that he couldn't see me if Lorelai was around he pushed her away so he could spend time with me. He was willing to give up time with his fiancé to be with me."

Anna looked shocked at this. "How do you…"

"How do I know that is what happened?" She was really angry. "I knew a little about why they broke up, or thought I did, but when I heard you two fighting it all fell into place. He pushed her away mom so he could see me and that wasn't fair to her, to dad or to me. It's why she was never around when I was."

"And it makes me realize that you _are_ part of the reason they broke up." She pulled her hand away and stood up.

"That's not fair April. I only wanted him to hold to the same rules I do where you are concerned. I don't think that's asking too much."

"Mom. You asked him to hurt someone he loved to be able to be in my life. That _is_ asking too much."

"I did not ask him to hurt Lorelai. He did that himself. He will never marry her anyway so why are they putting themselves through all of this?" She was a little miffed April would suggest that.

"How do you know?" April pulled back suddenly. "Do you want him to be alone because you are? Is it his fault that you never got married?"

Her mouth dropped open at April's words. "Don't talk to me like that April. That's not fair." Yet in the back of her mind she wondered if she was right.

"Why, does it hurt?" She was really angry now. "Try being cheated out of a father for 12 years. One that I _know_ would have been there for me from day one if he had known about me." It was the first time April admitted that she was hurt because her mom didn't let her dad be a part of her life.

Anna was taken aback at this comment. She had never seemed to be bothered before about having a dad. Why now? Why didn't she let her know before this?

April wiped her tears and continued. "I didn't win the science fair but I did win something. I found my dad." She tried hard to compose herself. She wanted to make a point to her mother so she pushed ahead. "You know what?" She didn't wait for a response before she continued. "I grew to love him and it started to bother me a little that I wasn't given a chance to know him before… but I let it go because I had him now. And I won't let you take him away from me again." Tears coursed down her face at the thought of her mother taking away her father from her.

Anna looked at April and her heart broke. All along she thought she had done the right thing by keeping Luke and April apart. Now she realized that was a big mistake. She had never thought that this would hurt her if she couldn't see her dad. She never realized how close she had grown to him. "Oh April… I never meant to hurt you… I only wanted to protect you." Tears pooled in her own eyes.

"I know that mom… but you can't protect me forever. And you can't dictate terms like that to him." She sat next to her mother. "I have a pretty good idea that you doing that, caused problems with him and Lorelai."

Anna sighed. "April, your dad was never going to marry her." She knew she was right about that much and wasn't going to take the blame for that part. "He still won't; and you will only get hurt when she leaves again."

"Mom, haven't you been listening?" She got up and began pacing, rolling her eyes like her father as she spoke. "Dad has a right to see me and every right to introduce me to anyone in his life!" She knew her mother better then that and played that card. "If the situations were reversed you wouldn't let him do that to you. You have no right to keep me from my dad. Hasn't that happened enough? Haven't you got the point yet?"

"April…" she began but was cut off again.

"Mom, you can _not_ protect me forever. How am I supposed to grow if I don't experience life? I love my dad and want him in my life; not just his diner."

Anna stayed quiet a few minutes, thinking about everything April said. She didn't want to share her daughter. "Ok…ok." She didn't want to do this but deep down knew April had every right to know her father. "It's just been you and me for so long… it doesn't feel right that I have to share you now." She sat on the couch, her shoulders slumped.

April sat on the couch and put her hand over her mom's. "It will always be you and me mom." She gestured between them with her finger. "We're a team… that will never change." She moved closer to her. "I just want to have dad in my life too. He won't change how I feel about you mom; but having him makes me feel whole. I need him mom, just as much as he needs me."

Anna pulled her into a hug. "You're the best kid in the world, you know that?"

"I heard a rumor." She laughed as she hugged her mother.

Anna laughed before turning serious again. "What about what happened with Rory? … What's going on with that?"

April looked at her suspiciously.

Anna put up her hands in defense. "I'm just concerned that's all. I know your dad wouldn't invite you to stay where it wasn't safe."

After taking a moment to study her mother she blew out a breath. "Ok…" She told her mom everything her dad had told her and Anna promised to call him back to talk.

…

**.o0o..o0o..o0o..o0o..o0o..o0o.**

…

Luke sat on the edge of the bed his head in his hands. His mind ran over different scenarios, wondering what was going on with April and Anna. He truly wished he was a fly on the wall for this conversation. He thought about calling back but decided to wait to hear from her. He was so absorbed in his thoughts, he didn't hear the bedroom door open. He only noticed he wasn't alone when he felt the mattress shift as Lorelai sat next to him, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"Oh sorry… I guess I was a little preoccupied." He apologized before looking down at his hands.

"It's ok… anything I can do?" She rubbed her hand gently over his shoulder.

He reached over and took her other hand and brought it to his lips. "You're doing it… thank you."

She smiled at him and put her chin on his shoulder. "What happened? I heard yelling." She asked in a low voice. She wanted to be supportive. He needed her just like she needed him and she wanted to be there for him no matter what.

"Well… I called April," he continued to play with her fingers as he spoke. "And filled her in on what has been happening." He sighed heavily. "Then Anna got on the phone and I asked her about April coming over and that led to me telling her we were back together and that I was moving in and…" He stopped suddenly and Lorelai started rubbing his back in support and glanced at her.

"And…" She prompted gently.

"And she got mad and started yelling and… and said she wouldn't let me see April if you were in the picture." He let go of her and put his head in his heads.

"Oh Luke…" Lorelai was hurt by this and was terrified that she would lose him again because of it. She couldn't help the tears that formed in her eyes. She did her best to hold them at bay. She had to be strong for him now. How could this woman deny him his daughter? He was such a good father. He wanted to be a good father.

Without looking up he continued. "Then I yelled back and then I heard April yell in the background. She had heard the argument apparently and got on the phone." He rubbed his face. "She said she would call back after she had a chat with her mother and hung up."

He turned to look at Lorelai and saw the tears pooled in her eyes and immediately knew what was running through her mind. "Lorelai…" Understanding hit him like a physical blow. He'd seen that face before. He kneeled in front of her and reached out for her. "I am not going to let her dictate who I can have in my daughter's life… that ends now."

She let the tears fall as she leaned down and fell into his embrace. She had been waiting for this to happen and was ashamed to admit that she was afraid he would let it all happen again and push her away like before. She was relieved to find out her fears had been unfounded this time.

Luke just wrapped his arms around her and let her cry it out. He knew what she had been afraid of and blinked back his own tears at her having a reason to doubt him. He hadn't done much before to include her in this part of his life and was going to make sure he never made that mistake again. He would never let her feel that way again.

They stayed locked in their embrace, Luke rocking her as she cried. When her sobs had quieted he pulled back and pushed her hair out of her face and held her face in his hands. "I love you Lorelai. I am so sorry that you even had a moment of doubt about me." He felt tears well up in his eyes. "That I ever gave you a reason to doubt how I feel about you."

She smiled and leaned forward to kiss him. "I'm sorry I doubt…" She was stopped by Luke's finger to her lips.

"Please don't apologize… you have nothing to be sorry for. I'm the one who made you feel that way." He moved more hair out of her face gently with his fingertips. "But I promise you this… for the rest of my life, I will _never_ let you doubt me again… ever."

She smiled at this. "Sounds good to me." New tears had formed in her eyes but this time they were accompanied by her radiant smile. She wrapped her arms around her neck. "I love you." She whispered as feels Luke's grip tighten around her and rested his forehead against hers.

A moment later the phone rang. They looked at each other for a moment then Lorelai grabbed the phone and handed it to him.

He looked at it before answering. "Hello?" He looked at Lorelai. "Hey Anna."

His smile grew as he listened to her talk. "Yeah thanks!" …... "No, I'll pick her up at your house after school tomorrow and have her back by 6:00 Saturday."

"Great!" He smiles and grabs Lorelai's hand excitedly. "See you then… and thanks again." He hangs up the phone and jumps up pulling Lorelai to him in a hug and lifts her up swinging her around eliciting a laugh from her.

"Luke!" She pulls back as he puts her down on the floor but before she could get any further she found his lips covering her in a heated kiss and she let herself melt into him.

When they pulled away they were both panting. "Wow! I guess that means it went good." She laughed at the look of happiness on his face. This is what he deserves; to be happy like this, she thought.

"Yes! I don't know what April said but Anna has lifted the no Lorelai ban."

"That's great!" She was so happy that she was going to be able to get to know her. She wasn't asking to be her new mother, just a new friend. "So tomorrow nights movie night is for five?"

"You bet it is." He laughed again as he hugged her tightly. Things were finally working out right.

TBC…


	28. Chapter 28

Hi all – Sorry it took so long to get this up but there were circumstances beyond my control. But here is chapter 28. I am going to do my best not to make anyone wait this long again. The story is winding down so it won't be long before it is all done. I just want to say thank you to all the reviews I have had for this story especially the last chapter. I got lost on where the reviews left off so I am doing a blanket thank you here. Please do keep reviewing, I love to hear your thoughts on the story and feed back. Like I always said they help me get better with my writing so let me have it. I hope you all like this story and thanks for hanging in with me.

_**Chapter 28**_

The night was quiet in Stars Hollow. All the lights were out in all the houses, and the only lights that could be seen came from the street lamps and the stars casting a soft glow upon the streets. The only sounds that could be heard was a light breeze through the trees and crickets chirping. Not even a car came along down the road. This was a small town deeply asleep.

Slowly he made his way through the woods, wincing every time he heard the leaves crunch or a branch snap under his feet. Each time he stopped and listened to see if anyone had heard him then continued on until he was directly across from her house.

He sat down and tried to make himself comfortable in the brush swinging his back-pack around into his lap and began to dig out what he needed. He pulled out a camera and small tripod and began to clear a flat space for the tripod to stand and attached the camera. Looking through the view finder he focused the camera on the house and panned around from window to window looking for the best view into the house. All of the lights were turned off with only the porch light casting a glow around the entry way. Where was she? She should be at home not out and about.

Just as that thought went through his mind his attention was pulled to her Jeep coming slowly down the road and pulling in to her drive way. He watched as four people piled out of the car and walked into the house. Luke, Lorelai, Rory and Logan. All four of them coming in this late. And why are they all coming here? As the lights turned on he focused his camera on the windows, hoping to see what was going on. He could see movement but it seemed to be in other rooms of the house and the occasional person walking across his field of vision. After a few minutes of this the downstairs lights turned off and he caught sight of Luke and Lorelai walking upstairs arm in arm.

His anger grew quickly and when the bedroom light went on upstairs it was all he could do to keep from running into the house and pushing Luke out a window and dragging Lorelai off with him. But he knew that would get him nowhere.

He sat back from the camera as another thought struck him. It wasn't enough that she was acting like a whore but she was condoning their daughter doing the same thing! She was letting Logan spend the night with his daughter! He started to get up from his spot but quickly stopped himself. Again this would get him nowhere. He had to get her away without letting anyone know that he was at fault. Then he could let her know that this was unacceptable. So he again forced himself to calm down.

Instead he started taking pictures of the house. Every angle he could get to without moving about. Then, when he was sure they were asleep he crept around and got pictures of all the other sides of the house. He had to plan how he was going to get into the house and these pictures would really help him out a lot. He needed to plan this out properly. He let details go last time and was determined not to make the same mistake again.

He had failed at doing so many things in his life. His dad made sure he knew it too. But he was not going to fail in this. He would have what was his and she was his.

He watched the house a little longer then packed up his gear leaving the camera on the tripod there covered with leaves to hide it so he would always have it set just right and he wouldn't have to carry it back and forth. He hiked back to his car and headed back to the hotel. He wanted to get his film developed and see what he could figure out.

The next afternoon, Richard Gilmore sat in his office, lost in thought about Lorelai and what was happening. He wanted so much to go back in time and do so many things over. He felt ashamed of himself that he had been such a snob; that he had treated Luke so badly because he thought he had no money or honor or that he came from the wrong family.

Luke had suggested he read the file he got from Mike and Dan. Seemed to really want him to know more about him without Luke having to actually be the one to tell him. He wondered what exactly it was that he had wanted him to know. He opened his desk drawer and pulled out the file on Luke and started going through it. He skimmed over it mostly not really knowing what he was supposed to be looking for.

There were details about his investments and the properties he owned, all of which Richard already knew about because Luke had told him. Then he turned the page in the file and his eyebrows raised. Now he knew exactly what Luke wanted him to know. He looked closer and saw that Luke, it seemed, was very good with his finances. Very good indeed if what he was reading was correct.

He had a large sum of money available if he needed it and that coupled with his investments and property… meant that Luke was a wealthy man. And completely self made by the looks of it.

That realization gave him even more respect for Luke and more shame to himself. Luke wanted their approval of him based on who he was not how much money he had. A fresh wave of shame swept over him. It was the proof he needed to wake him up to the fact that you couldn't judge someone by how they dress or how they live. You had to go by who they were inside. He vowed to himself to never make that mistake again.

He had thought that Christopher was a good man just because of who his father was. He did know his father and they were friends of a sort, but Lorelai didn't want him. And they hadn't listened to her and tried to force her into a relationship with him once she had gotten pregnant. But she had seen a side of him that they hadn't and had said no.

She had made her choice and hadn't wavered. Maybe, for Christopher, the privileged life he grew up with is what made him turn out this way. It was apparent the Straub fixed all of Chris' problems for him and never let him work out his own issues. Maybe that was what made him stay a child for so long. He faced no consequences and therefore learned no lessons about right and wrong. He had never really had anything bad happen to him before so it made it easy for him to think that he could do anything and not be punished for it.

Even when Lorelai had gotten pregnant with Rory. Straub had blamed everything on Lorelai and when she wouldn't get rid of the baby, he blamed her for ruining Chris' life and told him he held no responsibility for this child and that if she wanted to keep it that they wanted no part of it.

Lorelai had made up her mind the moment she found out she was pregnant she took everything seriously. Rory became the most important thing in her life; from the moment she was born she refused to let the nanny do anything for her except watch her while she took a shower or if she had to do something her mother required her for. She wanted to raise Rory her way, not the way she had been raised. She left because she wanted to earn her own way and take care of Rory without being told what to do.

And she had done a wonderful job. She really was a superb mother. There wasn't anything she couldn't do when she set her mind to it and nothing she wouldn't do for her daughter. He realized that he was very proud of Lorelai. He just wished he had told her that before.

And Luke was perfect for her. He had been through his own battles growing up and he had also done well and made the right choices and had earned his own way. He knew what was right and what was wrong and knew how to take care of himself. And like Lorelai he didn't let anything get in the way of what he wanted to do.

He shook his head as he asked himself how he and Emily could be such bad judges of character. He knew it would be a long time before he made any rash judgments about anything. He looked at the phone a moment before picking it up. He wanted to talk to Luke.

Luke spent the next day packing and moving his things to Lorelai's house. He had left Logan there with Rory and Lorelai and began moving. As he brought in loads from his truck Lorelai took them and began putting them away so he could concentrate on getting everything he wanted over to the house faster.

As he worked he thought about living with her. She was so beautiful and he wanted to spend his life with her. But the physical aspect of their relationship, or lack there of, was going to be difficult when he was in such close proximity to her every night. He would wait until she was ready; he had no problem with that but he foresaw a LOT of cold showers in his future.

On one trip back to the diner Caesar called out to him holding the phone up. When he took the phone he was surprised to find Richard on the other end. "Hey Richard, how ya doing?"

A few minutes later he hung up the phone having set a meeting with Richard for Monday. He had read Luke's file and wanted to see him about it and Luke was as ready as he would ever be to have this conversation with Richard. He ran upstairs to get his last load and to pick up April for movie night.

At about 4:00 pm Luke pulled up to Anna's house and smiled at the thought of how tonight was going to be. He was excited; he couldn't wait until all of his girls were together and got to know each other.

He jumped out of the truck and practically skipped to the door. When he rung the bell April swung the door open and smiled throwing her arms around him. "Hi Dad!"

He hugged her back and ruffled her hair a bit. "Hey April…" He stepped inside as she turned around. "Let me just grab my stuff." She ran past Anna on her way to her room.

"Hey Luke." She said as she walked over to him.

"Hey Anna." He nodded to her. "Thanks for letting April come over. It really means a lot to me." He couldn't help the smile that crept on to his face.

"You're welcome." She hesitated a moment. "And I am glad that Rory is alright."

"Yeah me too."

"And I am happy you and Lorelai are back together." She saw the doubt flicker across his features. "Really I am."

"Thanks." Just then April bounded out of her room with her duffle bag. "Ready!"

Luke chuckled and took the bag from her. "Ok let's go." He turned to Anna again. "Thanks again. I'll have her home by 6:00 pm tomorrow."

"Bye mom." April chirped and kissed her mom on the cheek.

"Bye sweetie. Have fun." She watched her run out to the truck with Luke behind her opening her door. She still had doubts about his ability to be a father but she was going to give him the benefit of the doubt for now.

April ran through the radio stations in the truck as she watched her dad out of the corner of her eye. He seemed really happy. She found a song then sat back and turned to face him. "So what movies are we going to see?"

"Lorelai wanted comedies so we can all laugh. Not sure which ones though." He glanced at her as he drove. "You know… I'm glad that you and Lorelai are going to be able to get to know each other."

"Me too." She waited a moment before adding. "Sorry about mom."

"Hey." He glanced over at her again. "I'm sorry about that. But I would prefer it if you didn't get caught in the middle of all of this. I don't want you to get hurt."

She thought it ironic that he would say that. "Dad, this one I had to get into." She continued on quickly before he could. "And it wasn't because she threatened to keep me away from you…" She looked down at her hands, "I did it because she was threatening to keep you away from me."

He looked over at her surprised. "I never really thought about it that way before." He admitted and blew out a breath. "Well, I guess you already are in the middle. And whatever you said to your mom to change her mind… thanks." He reached over and squeezed her hand.

She smiled the biggest smile he had ever seen her smile. He got it! She thought to herself. Right away he got it. She didn't have to break it down and explain it all to him. He just understood. It made her wonder why her mom couldn't see how great he is. "You're welcome."

He smiled and drove on towards home to enjoy an evening with his family.

It was dark outside and he sat there watching the movements in the house. The curtains were pulled back so he had a view of the living room and could see Lorelai standing in front of them with DVD boxes fanned out before them asking them to pick which movie they want to see. As she held them up one by one heads bobbed and hands shot in the air to vote for which movie to watch first.

He couldn't take his eyes off of her. She was so beautiful. He should be in there on the couch with her picking out movies to watch. She moved over to the DVD player and put in a movie and then someone walked in to his field of vision. His jaw tightened up as he focused in on Luke. In an instant he was burning with rage. Did he never go home? He didn't belong there. He wasn't needed. He could never take care of Lorelai they way she needed to be cared for. She needed someone who would tell her what to do and make sure she learned her place. Someone who could make sure she learned how to act and how to take care of him.

He wouldn't go through all of this without training her to service his every need as well. He looked up and saw Luke put his arm around her shoulders and kiss her. He closed his eyes and clenched his fist trying to hold it all together. He had to sit back and watch what was going on. As much as it hurt or angered him, he had to watch. He forced himself to open his eyes and watch what went on.

Luke led her back to the couch and sat with her while they watched whatever movie they were watching. He knew from experience they would watch the movie through without stopping so he pulled out his notebook and began to go over his notes.

As the night wore on he wondered who else was there with them. She looked young… probably a teenager… with brown hair. He looked up again and realized she was Luke's daughter April. He was surprised and angry that she was there.

Luke had taken such pains to keep Lorelai and April apart; so much so that they had broken up. Now all of a sudden he is letting them spend time together? What for? So he can keep Lorelai? Not likely. He shook his head. It didn't matter. She wouldn't be around her that much to get to know her.

He continued to watch as the movie night wore on; his anger growing and growing as the night past. When he saw them turn out the lights he waited 10 minutes then began to pack up his gear and headed back to his hotel.

He made himself take a cold shower to shake off the feelings he was having. He settled into his pillows and put his arms behind his head. He could do this. He had to be patient and wait for the moment to present itself.

He clenched his fist again and tried to decide if he needed to move up his time table. He didn't think he could take much more of this sitting there and just watching. It was driving him insane. He needed to get everything ready and move. It was time he got what he wanted.

He fell asleep that night smiling and content as the different scenarios ran through his head.

Lorelai stood in front of the mirror in her bathroom thinking about how the last two weeks had been. She felt like it was all a dream and soon she would wake up from this happy memory to find it didn't actually happen. She didn't want it to be a dream. They had been the best two weeks of her life. Rory was now back home and so was Luke.

Rory was doing very well. She had gone back to Yale after Luke had changed out the locks and added more security to her dorm room like he had at home. She never thought she would be happy that Paris was Rory's room mate but knew that she was the best one for the job. She was like a watch dog and would help keep Rory safe. She put anyone through the third degree before they even entered the room. That was what really convinced her that Rory going back was good.

Logan had gone back to London at his father's urging but promised to fly back as often as he could to visit.

Luke was moved into the house now too. She sighed contentedly at the thought. It was wonderful to have him here all the time. He had brought April over for a movie night and sleep over for the first time and they had a blast. She felt like a kid again… well, like she did when Rory was that age.

April was a very smart girl. They had a short conversation when she was getting ready for bed that first night. She had gone in to see how she was doing and April had told her a little about her mom.

Flashback

_She walked into Rory's room and saw April pulling back the covers on the bed. Luke had gone to lock up the house and Rory and Logan had fallen asleep in the living room and had given April the use of her room._

"_Hey." She said as she walked in. April turned around and smiled. _

"_Hey." She climbed into the bed and sat looking at Lorelai._

"_Well, this is where you will sleep when you visit your dad." She waved her arm around Rory's room._

"_Thanks." She smiled and then looked at her hesitantly. "Lorelai?"_

"_Yeah?"_

"_I'm sorry." She put her head down and stared at her fingers._

_Lorelai was taken aback a little. "What for?"_

"_For… before…" She hesitated. "For what my mom did to interfere in your relationship with dad." She picked at the edge of the comforter._

_Lorelai was surprised to say the least and walked over to sit on the bed. "Oh April… honey… that was __**not**__ you fault." She reached out to April and pushed some hair behind her ear. "You don't need to apologize."_

"_But if my mom hadn't made dad keep me away from you then…" April began but Lorelai cut her off._

"_April…" She took her hand in hers and held it. "__**None**__ of that was your fault. You were __**not**__ the reason we had trouble." She smiled at her. "I appreciate that you and your mom talked and figured some things out. And I know this affected you too and I am glad that you're ok."_

_April smiled. "Yeah I am, but my mom is afraid if something happens and you and dad break up that I'll get hurt and… I just…"_

_She smiled at April and squeezed her hand. "I will promise you one thing… that no matter what... you will never be put between your dad and me." She studied her face a moment before continuing. "Your dad has been in my life for a long time. He has been like a father to Rory since she was about 10 years old." She smiled at the thoughts running through her head. "No matter if we were fighting or getting along, his relationship with Rory never changed. He never let her feel his friendship with her was conditional on his friendship with me."_

_April smiled as she understood what she was saying to her._

"_That's how it will be with us…" She pointed her finger between the two of them. "No matter what, we will always be friends."_

_April leaned forward and threw her arms around Lorelai's neck hugging her tightly._

_When the hug ended Lorelai stood up and smiled down at her. "You get ready for bed and your dad will be in to say good night soon."_

"_Ok… goodnight Lorelai."_

"_Goodnight kid."_

Flashback

She heard Luke come upstairs and smiled. He was her rock. He went out of his way to make sure he told her very day that he loved her. He didn't want her to ever have a reason to doubt his feelings for her again.

She, in turn, held nothing back. They had each let the other get lost and stopped communicating before. Now they told each other everything. If something from long ago was remembered they would tell it too. They sat up at night every night and talked about anything and everything. And it was a wonderful feeling of knowing someone so well that you don't know where they stopped and you began. Something neither of them had ever had before.

Luke talked about his mom; how he felt when Liz took off while their dad was ill and finally about when his dad passed and his financial situation.

Lorelai told him about growing up in Hartford society and the expectations placed on her at such a young age; about how her parents seemed to ignore her in favor of the activities demanded of them by the society they lived in; the trips they took leaving her behind with nannies and maids to look after her; And how she rebelled.

She also talked about Christopher and how everything had happened when they were kids and how he had been since she had Rory.

When she left Hartford and came to Stars Hollow, it had felt right. It had felt like home. And she had never felt more welcome anywhere in her life.

These talks gave them an incredible understanding about each other and a deep respect for everything they had gone through and had to do as a result.

She smiled as she felt arms snake around her waist and her hands automatically came up to cover them as she looked at him in the mirror. "Hey."

"Hey." She turned in his arms and kissed him. "What are you doing here?"

"Just had a lull at the diner and I wanted to see you." He leaned in and kissed her again. 

"Well, I am glad you did." She ran her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck. "I'm still coming in for coffee before work though."

He chuckled. "I wouldn't have it any other way" He kissed her gain. "When are you heading out?"

"In a minute; just have to finish accessorizing." She turned back to the mirror and put on the earrings and necklace he had given her.

Luke smiled when he saw this, loving that she loved them so much. "Want to walk together? That way I can pick you up later and take you out for dinner."

"I think that would be perfect." She turned and grabbed his hand leading him down the stairs and out the door.

He sat in his hotel room going over his plans. He had spent the better part of two weeks watching their every move; some days but mostly nights. He was able to get a good feel for how their nights worked now that they had gotten back into their routines.

Rory had gone back to Yale; he was happy about that so he knew she was out of the way. Logan had returned to London, he knew because he had left with his bags packed not long before she had gone back to Yale.

Luke and Lorelai had both gone back to work. He watched Luke on some of the nights he closed the diner. He did the same thing every night; cleaned up the diner, turned out the lights and locked up before dumping the trash and heading back to Lorelai's house. Why did he have to go there every night? Why couldn't he stay home in his apartment?

Then he had heard talking going on around him as he hid in the woods. Talk that made it sound like he had moved into Lorelai's house. Hearing this news had almost made him blow everything and go after Luke. But thankfully he had been no where around at the time so it was easier to quell his anger.

He watched Lorelai the rest of the time wanting to get her pattern down and wondered why she let him move in. Why? Hadn't he hurt her enough? He would do it again and then she would fall apart and he could step in and be there for her, but he didn't want to wait that long. He wanted her now.

He smiled when he thought about how it would all work out. She would be his; where he wants her to be while playing the concerned ex-lover who only wanted to find her. Make it look like he had nothing at all to do with it.

Then he would get off on these ridiculous charges and then they would disappear together. He would take her so far away, no one would have any idea where to look and no one would ever find her.

He sprang to his feet; he had come to a decision. Time was up. He was tired of waiting. He knew what he had to do and now was the time to do it. He grabbed his coat and ran out of his room.

TBC…

12


	29. Chapter 29

Fiddle-faddle

_Hi all,_

_I just want to say I am sooo sorry for taking 4 months… 4 months?? To post this next chapter. I have to tell you I had a lot of problems going on from my job to my house to my computer crashing to losing my notebooks with my chapter notes in them… aaahhhhh! LOL Well I had to restart this chapter because the computer crashed and had to do it from memory because of the missing notebooks. But I found the notes in the nick of time and was able to finish this chapter and have already gotten a fair chunk of the next one written. So yay for me finally!! LOL Anyway this was not an easy chapter to write and I am not 100 percent happy about it but I can only re-read it so many times and you have all waited sooooo long that I am going to go ahead and post it. Please definitely tell me what you think because eventually I will do re-writes to improve it so any thoughts are very much welcome no matter what they are. I do hope you enjoy this chapter though and I promise not to make you wait so long for the next one._

Chapter 29

Luke stood in the diner wiping the counter absently as he thought about his date with Lorelai tonight. He was so happy that they were back on track. He couldn't seem to wipe the smile off of his face. Even Taylor couldn't ruffle his feathers. They had moved in together and were working through what had happened between them and with Chris. Especially with Chris. She had finally opened up and told him everything that she remembered about that night. It had been hard at first. She couldn't look at him when she began talking but as she continued he gently ran his hand up and down her back in silent support and eventually she had looked at him and kept talking.

Once they had both got all of their feelings out about everything that had happened they began to heal more and more. And as they healed they grew even closer; closer then they had ever been. And tonight he was going to take her out to a romantic dinner and treat her to a wonderful evening. He wanted to make her feel good; like she was the most important woman in the world to him.

He was also happy at how she and April were getting along. She had spent a couple of nights at their house in the last couple weeks and they had always had a great time. April loved Lorelai and they had fun teasing Luke like she and Rory used to. He knew they had talked a little about what had gone on before. He heard one conversation they had had the first night she had stayed over and Luke had never thought he could love her more after that.

April had broached the subject of spending a weekend over with them and Luke had promised to talk to Anna about it. He wasn't sure how she would respond to it but he was definitely going to do what he could to make that happen.

He looked up at the clock and sighed. Just a few more hours until he left to pick up Lorelai. The day seemed to be dragging on. He walked into the kitchen to find something to do to keep himself occupied and make the day go faster.

The house was dark and quiet. All of the lights were off except for a few very low wattage lamps casting an eerie glow around the first floor. The door to the basement stood open and sounds of metal hitting metal could be heard. Chris stood back panting as he surveyed his work. He had come here to make sure everything was set up. The frame work was secured to the wall and was ready to go. He had placed a futon mattress on the floor underneath it and had restraints attached and ready to be put to use.

He was satisfied with his work. Now he just had to stock, within reach a few necessities that she would need when he could not be there. It took him another thirty minutes to get the supplies set up and when it was all done he went upstairs to the living room bar and made himself a drink.

As he sipped his drink he walked around the room thinking about what was next. He wanted to make his move tonight. He couldn't wait anymore. He walked over to the window and stood looking out at the afternoon light and looked at his watch; only a few hours until everything was underway. His heart started to beat rapidly as he thought of what he would have at the end of the night.

He furrowed his brow a moment; he knew he would have to leave her here overnight; maybe even a few nights before he could come back. He would have to make sure she was secure before he left to go back to the hotel. But with the supplies he left she should be ok.

He finished his drink and set down the glass on the end table and walked out of the room. Grabbing his coat he went out to his car and headed out. It was time to scout his hiding spot for tonight.

Lorelai sat in her office trying to get her paperwork done. She couldn't stop thinking about Luke and their date tonight. She was excited. They were going on a real date. Over the last two weeks their relationship had changed in a wonderful way. They had such a deep knowledge and understanding of each other. Luke had done nothing but support her as she finally talked about that night. She knew deep down that she couldn't really move on until she talked about it. She thought about calling Dr. Zak herself but was very uncomfortable trusting a psychologist again.

But she did trust Luke. He knew what had happened and had done nothing but love her. He didn't blame her anymore for what had happened. And that happened before he knew what Chris had done so she knew it was real.

She was happy he had moved in with her too. To go to sleep and wake up with him every day was the best feeling in the world. She wanted them to continue to move forward and tonight she would take the next step.

She was jarred from her thoughts by a knock on her door and Sookie stuck her head in. "Hey honey, you ok?"

"Hey Sook… yeah I'm fine. Why do you ask?" She was starting to get tired of hearing that question.

"You've been holed up in here for a while, that's all." She came in and shut the door before sitting in a chair across from her.

"Yeah… I know. I have a lot of paperwork to catch up on." She smiled dreamily as she spoke.

Sookie stared at her for a moment. "Why are you smiling? You never smile about paperwork." She reached over and pressed a hand to her forehead. "How do you feel? You feel ok?"

Lorelai laughed at her friend and pushed her hand away. "I'm fine Sook. Really."

Sookie looked at her skeptically.

"Really! I swear I'm fine." She brushed her hair behind her ear. "I'm just really happy."

"Really?" She sat back in the chair. "Why?" She asked ready for some happy girl talk.

The smile blossomed on Lorelai's face once more. "Luke."

"Ah, so is it a certain backwards baseball cap, flannel wearing diner owner that we both know that is keeping that smile on your face?" She was so glad that they were back together and was curious to know how that had all come about but waited to see if Lorelai wanted to talk about it before she started asking questions. She was trying to be less intrusive because of all that had happened lately. She thought she may need a little space to deal with everything. She didn't want her to overload because she had been known to run away when things got too tough.

Lorelai couldn't help but smile at her as she spoke. "Yeah… he's picking me up for a date tonight."

"Oh honey that's great!" She clapped her hands together. "I am sooo happy you two are back together!"

"Oh me too, Sookie, me too." She put her pen down and sat back in her chair. "It's been hard and painful but we are definitely on track now."

"So you guys… talked? And he… you know forgave you and you him and…" She stopped to look at Lorelai.

"Oh, Sookie he's been so great about everything." She gushed. Then a shadow seemed to pass over her features for a moment and she looked up at Sookie again before she got up and started to pace the room.

She nervously watched Lorelai pace the room for a few minutes and was sorry she mentioned it. She was about to tell her to forget she said anything when Lorelai wrapped her arms around herself and began to speak.

"That's the thing Sookie." She stared down at the floor a moment and blew out a breath. "I know everyone thinks I slept with Christopher but…" She stopped again trying to work up the nerve to tell Sookie the truth.

Sookie watched her closely. "Honey…"

"Sookie, I am going to tell you something…" She came over and sat next to her with her hands folded in her lap. "I need you to promise me something."

"Anything, sweetie." Sookie was a little freaked out.

"Promise me you won't tell anyone what I am going to tell you." She looked at her pointedly. "Not even Jackson."

"Honey, you're really starting to scare me." Sookie started to fidget nervously.

"Promise me." She demanded quietly. "I mean it Sookie, promise me."

Sookie just sat there and looked at her. She wanted to promise but she told Jackson everything and wasn't sure if she could keep her mouth shut. Then she looked at Lorelai's face and nodded her head. "I promise."

"Ok." She got up and began to pace again. "Ok." She stopped and looked at Sookie. "Chris… boy this is hard." She realized that she had never really said it out loud since she had told Luke. She walked over and sat next to Sookie. "Chris raped me that night Sookie." She kept her gaze fixed on her hands while she waited for Sookie's reaction. She wasn't sure how she would take this news. After a moment of silence she couldn't help but look up and saw Sookie's eyes full of tears.

"Oh honey." She leaned over and wrapped her arms around her as they both broke down.

Lorelai took a deep breath and launched into her story. She and Sookie wept together as she told her what had happened to her. Sookie pulled her into a hug. "Oh, honey… I wish I had known before. I would have…"

"What Sookie?" Lorelai looked at her. "What could you have done?" She brushed her hair back out of her face and smiled at her. "The only thing that would have accomplished was the possibility of you getting hurt."

"Oh, well I still wish I had known." She wiped her eyes. "How is Luke about it? I mean… with Chris?"

"He wants to kill him, of course but he understands and… oh Sookie he is so great. He understands and doesn't blame me." She smiled excited.

Sookie laughed. "I am so happy for you honey." She hugged her one more time and looked at the clock. "I am gonna head back to the kitchen and let you finish up so you can go out with Luke."

"Ok… see you later."

"Oh and I want details!" She smiled and quickly shut the door before she could say anything. She just laughed and shook her head and checked her watch. She still had a little bit of a wait so she forced her mind to focus on her paperwork.

He drove out to the woods and parked and camouflaged his car as best he could before making his way towards the diner cutting through the woods. It was early evening so it was still light out so he was careful to keep himself concealed as much as he could. As he reached the row of buildings in the center of town he ducked into the alley as he heard people walking and talking down the street. He blew out a breath and made his way along the alley towards the back of the diner.

Once he reached the dumpster he hid along side as he had done before and waited for Luke to dump the trash when he closed. He was glad he had come early. It gave him a chance to settle in and get comfortable. He wanted to make sure he got rid of Luke before he went for Lorelai. It would make it easier to get her away without worrying about him catching up and finding them.

His thoughts were interrupted by a distinctive voice and he grabbed a board from the ground near him and waited to see what was going on. He could hear Luke yelling to his employees from the back door in the alley. Then he heard foot steps approaching and tightened his grip on the board as he felt his heart begin to race.

Luke was upstairs getting ready to pick up Lorelai. He was surprised to find that he was nervous. They were living together and spending all of their free time together and with their kids. But he was still nervous abou their date. This would be a new beginning for them romantically and he wanted everything to be perfect.

Luke hurried down the stairs in his jeans and tucked in casual button down shirt and walked down into the diner as Ben walked in. "Hey Ben."

"Hey Luke." He waved as he walked into the kitchen.

Luke walked around the diner checking on a few things and thought about tonight. He decided to take her to Sniffy's to see Buddy and Maisy. He wanted to spend a nice evening with people they both loved.

He walked back into the kitchen to see Zack and Ben working away on clean up and prep work. "Ok." He reached down and picked up the trash. "You guys should be able to handle things tonight. You need anything before I go?"

"Nah we're good." Zack waved at him.

"Ok, well I'm out."

"See ya boss." Came the chorus from the kitchen as he walked out to dump the trash.

He walked over to the dumpster and lifted the lid. As his arm was raised he saw movement out of the corner of his eye and turned in surprise and then felt pain in his head and collapsed in a heap on the ground.

Christopher stood over him with the board and swung it up over his head to swing again but stopped as he heard voices coming closer. He quickly put the board down and grabbed hold of Luke's arms and dragged him beside the dumpster and took off running as the voices grew louder.

He ran off the way he had come and made it to his car in less then ten minutes. He jumped in and slammed his fists on the steering wheel. He wanted to do more then just knock him out but the damn towns people had to ruin it. He decided to cut his losses and go get Lorelai before he woke up. He started the car and drove out of the brush without bothering to knock the branches off and took off towards the Dragonfly.

Lorelai was putting her things away as she finally finished the paperwork she had been doing. She walked out of her office and walked to the front desk to see what was going on. She greeted a few guests and made rounds of the dining room. She looked over at the clock on the wall and frowned. He was late; Luke was never late. Then shook her head as she realized he must have gone home to change for their date. She sighed and headed to the kitchen.

"Hey Sook." She breezed through the door.

"Hey honey. You want some coffee?" She started to grab a cup down and poured some coffee.

"Yes please." She walked over and took the cup from her. "I am gonna go visit the horses and kill time until Luke gets here."

"Ok. You have a good time tonight." She smirked at her. "Tell Luke I said hi."

"I will." She walked out to the barn smiling. She loved horses. It was always a good distraction when she was down. Now she was walking out there to see them just because. She sipped her coffee as she walked into the barn. "Hey Cletus. How are you?" She reached up and ran her hand along it's nose. Cletus grunted in answer.

A loud thump on the side of the barn caught her attention. "Hello?" She called out. "Are you ok?" She wondered if John the stable hand was out back of the barn and walked out the barn door and around to the back to see. "John, are you here?"

She walked around the back of the barn and saw a rake lying at the base of the barn. She shook her head and bent to pick it up.

Chris drove out to the Dragonfly to scope out a spot near her Jeep. As he pulled into the drive he slowed suddenly as he saw her walk into the barn. He smiled to himself as he coasted over to the barn and parked his car. He got out and left the driver's door ajar and snuck around to the back of the barn and looked around quickly.

He saw a rake leaning against the side of the barn and stepped forward grabbing the rake and throwing it at the wall of the barn and jumped behind the bushes a few feet away and waited. He heard Lorelai before he saw her walk around the corner with a cup of coffee in her hand. She stopped and looked around and saw the rake. She shook her head and bent over to pick it up when Chris made his move. He stepped out from behind the bushes towards her, a twig snapping under his foot.

As she bent over she heard a twig snap behind her and turned smiling. "Luke what took you so lo…" Her question was cut off as a sharp pain soared through her jaw and darkness took her and she hit the ground with a thud.

Chris looked down at her prone figure. "Time to come home Lorelai." He stopped down and scooped her up and put her over his shoulder and quickly carried her towards his car, keeping a careful watch for anyone. He opened his car and loaded her inside. Climbing in himself he smiled as he spoke aloud. "Now you're where you belong Lor." He put the car in gear and tried to drive slowly towards the exit and headed out towards the highway

Once he was a ways down the road he found a private road and turned on to it. He got out of the car and opened the back door. He grabbed the duct tape roll from the floor board and taped her wrists behind her back and her ankles together and put a strip over her mouth.

He reached over and popped the trunk and pulled her out of the car and placed her inside shutting the lid carefully. He hurried back to the car and headed toward the highway.

Voices were rushing around him; familiar voices, only muted by the pain in his head. He opened his eyes to see Taylor and Kirk standing over him and he blanched and came fully awake with a start. He closed his eyes again to clear the image from his sight but when he opened them again they were still there. Then he remembered his date with Lorelai and quickly moved to get up only to feel a wave of dizziness rush through him.

Taylor and Kirk each grabbed an arm and helped steady him. "What happened?"

"Well, Luke we were wondering the same thing." He let go of his arm as Luke stood fully upright and shook his head to clear it.

"What did happen Luke?" Kirk asked.

"I was taking out the trash… when something hit me from behind." Suddenly Chris' face flashed in his mind. "Lorelai…" He whispered as he stumbled back into the back door of the diner earning stunned looks from the guys in the kitchen. He grabbed the phone and called the Dragonfly. "Is Lorelai in?"

He listened a moment and his face fell. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah… ok." He started to hang up but remembered Sookie. "Hey… is Sookie still there?" He waited as Tobin answered. "Yeah, let me talk to her."

"Sookie! Yeah… look, I'm on my way there but Tobin said Lorelai was gone."

He listened to Sookie a moment. "Usually I'd agree with you Sookie but I got hit over the head and woke up in the alley behind the diner…"

"Yeah… good. Have them look around and I'll be there in a minute." He hung up and ran out of the diner to his truck and peeled out towards the Dragonfly.

Sookie hung up the phone and wrung her hands. "Jeremy." She grabbed a hold of his arm and pulled him to her. "Do me a favor and take another guy and look around the property for Lorelai."

He looked at her sharply. "What…?"

"I think she's missing and we need to find her."

Jeremy looked at her and saw the fear in her eyes and nodded as he walked out to do as he was asked. Sookie was really worried. After everything Lorelai had told her today she just knew something was wrong. She walked around the Inn wringing her hands and waiting for Luke to show up. A few minutes later she saw him bound in through the door and went over to him immediately. "Luke!"

He hurried over to her. "Is she here? Did you find her?" He rushed out knowing in the back of his mind that if she had been found she would have been there when he came in the door.

"No not yet. I have a couple of guys looking around the grounds for her." She was terrified that something had happened to her. Suddenly she jumped and grabbed his arm. "Oh! She told me she was going to hang out at the stables to wait for you!" She remembered.

Luke ran past her and out to the stables to see if she was still there. "Lorelai!" He called out as he ran into the barn looking frantically around for her. No one seemed to be there at the moment and after looking into the stalls he turned and ran back outside and looked around. He made his way over to the fenced in exercise area for the horses and leaned on the fence rails and looked around. He began to make his way along the fence and saw nothing but open field. He walked back towards the front of the barn and tripped over something. He looked down and saw one of Lorelai's shoes laying in the grass and then a coffee cup laying to the side.

He scooped them up and ran back to the inn. As he barged in the door he saw Sookie pacing and ran in and put the shoe and cup on the counter. "Call the police."

TBC…

_Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far. I am so happy that so many of you like this story. It makes me want to continue and to make this story as good as it can be. Thank you all so very much for reading._

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